Should You Buy Dental Insurance? Key Questions to Ask Before You Buy
While dental check-ups are usually needed every 6 months, you never know when a dental emergency might pop up in yours or one of your family member’s mouths that requires immediate attention and a whole lot of cash up front.
This is when dental insurance comes in handy. Of course, you will probably have to pay a small portion yourself, but with insurance, your provider will usually cover most of the procedure, helping you out financially.
If you’re unsure if dental insurance is right for you, we have answered a few important questions to ask yourself before jumping into something unnecessary or overpriced.
1. Does my employer offer similar Coverage?
First, it is best to talk with your employer about if they offer a dental package. According to Guardian Direct, about 50% of companies offer dental insurance, so there is a good chance that you could save some money by going with them. This makes the most sense because employers actually pay a percentage of the premiums and can negotiate rates with group plans, therefore making you pay less.
2. How much are premiums?
Premiums are how much you are going to spend each month or each quarter, and they vary from provider to provider. They cover anything from dental preventative care, cleanings, root canals, and sometimes more depending on your coverage.
If your employer does offer dental insurance, it might be a good idea to continue shopping around, as you might be able to find cheaper insurance privately. Knowing how much you are going to pay monthly or quarterly is important in making sure you aren’t getting in over your head and budget.
In addition, an insurance provider that you can go through privately could offer better benefits, making the price difference worth it. Compare benefits from your employer’s dental insurance to the private one you’re looking into to figure out which one is worth what you will end up paying.
3. Which dentists can I go to?
Perhaps you’ve already gone to a dentist you liked previously, or maybe you have certain criterias you want a dentist to meet when choosing them as your primary dentist. Either way, it is important to know what dentists are accepted in your dental insurance network that you are looking at getting insurance through.
Your provider should have a database where you can look up in-network dentists in your area, or search specifically by the name of the dentist you already know and trust. This also makes it easy for when you aren’t sure who to go to, don’t know which dentists are in-network, and don’t feel like calling around to a dozen places and asking.
This can also be used when you are referred to another provider for a specific procedure and want to make sure they are in your network.
How do you buy dental insurance?
Now the big question is, how to go about getting insurance, for an affordable price and getting the most out of your plan. In today’s world, it is really easy to find an insurance provider by browsing the internet. You can go with the bigger guys, or choose a local agent who can help you navigate the best plan for you and your family and answer all your insurance questions.
Still unsure of how to get dental insurance? Fabian Ramirez can help steer you in the right direction and discover what plan is right for you. Call today. (361) 652-3005.
