Can You Get Individual Family Dental Insurance?
Individual dental insurance, also called private dental insurance, is available for you and your family. Dental and medical insurance companies may offer stand-alone individual dental policies as well as integrated policies with dental and medical insurance combined.
You can find individual family dental insurance through a health insurance agent or directly from the dental insurer.
Individual Dental Policies
Individual dental plans include policies for individuals and their families and may offer dental services beyond routine care. Routine care typically includes two exams per years, two cleanings per year and two x-rays per year.
Other services such as orthodontics, periodontics and endodontics may vary from plan to plan. Some of these services may be covered and others may be available as an add-on at a higher cost. Any dental insurance you receive from an employer is considered group insurance.
PPO and DHMO
Preferred provider organizations and dental health maintenance organizations comprise most individual dental plans types. The concept is the same as medical plans. PPOs offer the flexibility to seek care from any dentist or specialist you wish.
However, seeking care from an out-of-network dentist will cost you more out-of-pocket. DHMOs limit you to seeking care from a network provider, but the cost of the policy and any out-of-pockets costs are lower than that of a PPO dental plan.
Finding Individual Dental Coverage
You can find individual family dental insurance through several resources. If you work with a health insurance agent, he can research dental plan option in your area and provide you with quotes. He’ll also facilitate the application process and deliver the policy to you.
You can also contact the dental insurer directly to apply for coverage online at her website or by telephone. Also, check with your medical plan to see if it offers an umbrella policy with dental coverage.Dual Dental Coverage
If you have dental insurance through an employer but the coverage isn’t comprehensive enough for your needs, you can purchase a supplemental individual policy. For instance, if your group policy doesn’t cover orthodontics, you can purchase an individual policy that covers orthodontics.
The group plan will always be your primary plan and the individual policy will pay costs that the primary insurance policy doesn’t. Having dual coverage doesn’t mean that you have double coverage. The dental insurers will coordinate benefits between both plans and only allow the limitations as defined by both plans.
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