Discount Dental Plans vs. Dental Insurance... What are the differences?
How do the differences between dental insurance and discount dental plans affect you?
Continued... From Dental Insurance vs Dental Plans
Oral Health is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Many people are ready to make the commitment but have a difficult time choosing between dental insurance and discount dental plans. Our goal at AlphaPlus Dental Plan is to improve oral health nationwide by making quality dental care affordable and accessible to everyone. With that in mind, consider how the differences between dental insurance and discount dental plans can affect you. Dental insurance policies are typically characterized by high premiums, deductibles and annual maximums. Alternatively, discount dental plans do not share any of the characteristics associated with dental insurance, they are designed to be affordable and made available to everyone.
Monthly premiums for dental insurance policies may be as much as $35 per month for individuals and $135 plus per month for family plans. Discount dental plans provided by AlphaPlus Dental Plan are less expensive and can be paid monthly or annually. Our discount dental plans start at only $8.75 a month* per month for individuals and slightly more a month for families.
Typically, insured individuals must meet their deductible before their dental insurance companies begin to cover their dental care, so the cost of deductibles need to be considered when calculating the overall costs associated with dental insurance. Annual deductibles can vary from $25 to $50 per covered individual, depending on the dental insurance policy. Conversely, discount dental plans do not have deductibles. Instead, discount dental plan members pay an annual membership fee allowing them to pay discounted rates at participating dental providers at the time services are rendered.
The majority of dental insurance plans cap the amount of reimbursement to an annual maximum that is usually $1,000 to $1,500 per year. The insured individual is responsible for any costs incurred after that. Discount dental plans do not have annual limits. Plan members can use their discount plans as often as they’d like. There is no limit to the amount of money members can save by using their discount dental plans!
Individuals with dental insurance often complain about claim form procedures, exclusions on pre-existing conditions and waiting periods for major procedures. Alternatively, the easy-to-use discount dental plans found on AlphaPlus Dental Plan are designed to save members time and money.
Most dental insurance policies require their members to go through a long written claims process every time they use the service. There are no paperwork hassles with discount dental plans; discount dental plan members simply present their plan membership card to participating providers at the time of service to receive discounts on most dental procedures.
Dental insurance plans will frequently refuse to cover certain procedures or impose long waiting periods. For example, many dental insurance policies have exclusions on pre-existing conditions and may require a 6 to 18 month waiting period before paying for major dental treatment. Most discount dental plans are free of these limitations and activate within 3 business days, allowing plan members to join and start saving on their dental care as quickly as possible. Some select discount dental plans offer significant savings on orthodontics and teeth whitening while dental insurance policies rarely cover these procedures.
The rising cost of insurance premiums makes dental insurance inaccessible to many individuals and families unless it’s provided by their employers. The cost-effective discount dental plans offered by AlphaPlus Dental Plan are a welcome alternative to costly dental insurance. AlphaPlus Dental Plan offers their plans directly to individuals, families, businesses and other groups. Discount dental plans are an easy, flexible way for businesses to save time and money on valuable dental care for their employees. Also, unlike many dental insurance plans, discount dental plans do not have a minimum participation policy for employees or their dependants. Despite the differences between the two plans;. they can be used in conjunction in certain situations to maximize savings.
AlphaPlus Dental Plan is devoted to helping individuals, families and businesses access quality dental care and save money in the process. On a final note, we know that discount dental plans are an affordable and easy-to-use alternative to dental insurance and offer plan members significant savings on most dental procedures.
We hope that our discussion on the major differences between dental insurance and discount dental plans have answered your questions and addressed your concerns.