Have Dental Charges Gone Up? Why Dental Plans May Be the Solution?

"I just noticed that on your last statement, you said that your dental charges have gone up." This is a common statement for anyone who has recently gone through a period of increased dental care costs. It is natural to assume that this means that the policy holder is in some financial trouble and needs to find a way to lower their premium costs. It would be inappropriate, however, to suggest that those with dental insurance have to pay more in their monthly premiums to get quality care. If the reasons behind your increases in dental care bills are indeed because of a rise in the cost of a particular procedure, then you may have to take steps to adjust your coverage to keep from paying more than you need to.

Most policy holders know that they can increase their deductibles if they need to. The policy holders who do not heed this advice end up paying more in the long run. Deductible increases, although they certainly take a bite out of your wallet, do not affect the amount of insurance coverage that you actually receive. These policy holders simply end up paying the difference between what the insurance company charges for a particular procedure and what they have paid for it previously. They end up paying hundreds if not thousands of dollars more for the privilege of being under insured.

Insurance companies offer various plans for those who are having increasing dental care costs. Most are fairly similar to the basic plan offered by most private medical insurers. One of these basic plans is an HMO or Health Maintenance Organization plan. A person pays a fixed rate for dental care and outpatient care. There is usually a limit on the number of procedures that can be obtained during a year with an HMO plan.

There are other types of dental HMO plans available. An indemnity plan will require you to pay a deductible of some amount before the insurance will cover a portion of the dental expenses. Policy holders who choose this type of plan must maintain a certain deductible amount or face charges for their dental care. A PPO plan also requires a deductible, but there are several different levels of deductibles available depending on the policy holder's income and health status. There are also a few PPO plans that offer a discount on office visits and some even offer a cash back incentive. Most people feel that these types of dental plans are pretty good value for money.

One thing that has to be considered is whether the plan is an appropriate option in your particular case. Does your existing dental care have a lot of cost? If so, then a PPO may not be the right choice for you. On the other hand, if your needs for dental care are relatively minimal, then an HMO may work well for you. In either case, you should ask your current dentist which plan he or she uses in order to determine if the policy would meet your needs or if you would need to change dentists. You also need to consider the extra money you will have to pay every month if you switch to a PPO, since most PPO plans require a co-payment.

There are certainly situations when you can save money by switching to a PPO plan, as long as you assess your own needs and find a dentist who is accepted by your employer. It is important to remember that each individual is different and so each individual will need a different type of dental plan in order to ensure their best dental care at a reasonable cost. If you have found that your dental insurance is not giving you the kind of service you want, switching to a PPO could be the answer that you have been searching for.