Individual dental insurance plans in Connecticut are far and few between. Many plans that do exist market themselves as if they were actual dental insurance. But look a little deeper and you will find that they are actually dental discount plans. If a plan actually offers insurance payments to the dentist for dental work, it is dental insurance. That said, we attempt to keep Connecticut residents informed as to who sells individual dental plans and just what coverage they offer. As for dental discount plans, they may be just what you are looking for. But you need to understand that there is a difference in the two dental plans.
Discount dental plans negotiate with dentists in different Connecticut counties for discounts on dental services. The deal is, the dental discount people will advertise the dentist's practice, and inturn the dental office will charge the patient a discounted rate for those dental services. Just don't be shocked when your $1,500 worth of dental work gets discounted to $950 due in thirty days. You just need to understand how they work.
Dental insurance, on the other hand, pays the dentist directly for dental services provided. The patient is responsible for a possible deductible, co-pay, or co-insurance. And there are dollar limits as to how much the dental insurance company will pay for each persons dental work per year. Common dental plan benefit maximum are $1,000 to $1,500 per calender year per person.
If you would like to understand the dental plans you may be looking at, you can check out our "Dental Insurance Term Glossary" by clicking on the link.
There are also unexpected "waiting periods" with dental plans so that certain dental services or procudures may not be covered during that period. For example, some insurance plans will not pay for any "major" dental procedures in the first 12 months after your plan effective date. Some dental insurance plans will elliminate this "waiting period" if you can show them that you had prior dental insurance in the recent past. So it is import to understand the benefit summaries and all the exclusions and limitation to each individual dental insurance policy. Contact us with any questions you may have and we can answer your questions and concerns.
If you would like to see the Individual Dental Insurance Plans available to Connecticut residents, please click here.