Who do you folks like for dental insurance?

[LostDollar]

By repricing do you mean using the discount that Ameritas has negotiated with in network dentists? If so, that is good to know. I am thinking about buying the plan as well.. I have dental already but unfortunately have a lot of work to get done

I am not an agent.

I can't think through a longer post right now, but please do some plan evaluations and look at in-network providers for the different plans before you leap into a purchase.

If you are looking at a significant amount of work that falls in the "major" category of dental services; DO NOT just buy a cheap premium plan, plan to use it at non-network dentists, and expect to obtain significant savings on your dental work. Won't happen.

 

[sbg_ben]

I am not an agent.

I can't think through a longer post right now, but please do some plan evaluations and look at in-network providers for the different plans before you leap into a purchase.

If you are looking at a significant amount of work that falls in the "major" category of dental services; DO NOT just buy a cheap premium plan, plan to use it at non-network dentists, and expect to obtain significant savings on your dental work. Won't happen.

I don't even bother selling dental plans on an out of network basis. It's nearly impossible to tell the client the amount they would pay for a cleaning / x-ray etc in that situation. It's usually a % of the usual and customary charge which varies by zip code or a % of the amount the insurance company thinks it is worth. Either way, If I can't tell someone exactly what something does I'm not interested in selling it or representing it

 

[mmike160]

Aetna PPO dental, Cigna or Aetna DHV (Careington) or UHC's new DHV plan.

 

[somarco]

It's nearly impossible to tell the client the amount they would pay for a cleaning / x-ray etc in that situation

Why even attempt to tell a client how much they would pay for X or Y?

I won't offer that information even in the presence of a copay benefit.

Way too many variables to take a risk by quoting a fee.

 

[sbg_ben]

Why even attempt to tell a client how much they would pay for X or Y?

I won't offer that information even in the presence of a copay benefit.

Way too many variables to take a risk by quoting a fee.

If we can't tell people how much they can expect to pay for services, how are we supposed to sell them insurance? If the plan pays 100% of the cost for an X-ray and they visit an in-network provider, the cost should be $0. If it is not, then I would ask the client to reach back out to me so we can figure out why that is. I do use the word "should" instead of "will be" because I know that there are always exceptions to the rule and circumstances I cannot foresee. Sometimes there are two tiers of providers for example and one of the tiers charges a higher amount or pays out at a lower percentage.

I guess I've got e&o to cover the risk..

 

[gregj]

the are no great dental plans

 

[somarco]

If we can't tell people how much they can expect to pay for services, how are we supposed to sell them insurance?

I can't say how you will do it, but in almost 50 years of selling health insurance I don't recall ever telling anyone how much they should expect to pay for X.

Even doc copay's come with exceptions.

"The $20 copay get's you in the door, but DXL charges may be an additional charge.".

 

[somarco]

e&o to cover the risk..

You might be surprised at how much wiggle room E&O policies have.

 

[LostDollar]

I don't even bother selling dental plans on an out of network basis. It's nearly impossible to tell the client the amount they would pay for a cleaning / x-ray etc in that situation. It's usually a % of the usual and customary charge which varies by zip code or a % of the amount the insurance company thinks it is worth. Either way, If I can't tell someone exactly what something does I'm not interested in selling it or representing it

(Caveat, not an agent)

I don't think you can know your out of pocket cost for a specific dental service at a specific provider unless you have your specific provider get a pre service quote for what the carrier will pay on the specific dental codes which the provider is going use for your dental treatment. And the $ amounts will likely be different for different providers in network with the carrier in question.

 

[rousemark]

I am not an agent. I have not had Ameritas dental coverage.

For any dental insurance product, I think in-network is a key for using the coverage and getting the most savings from it. Around 3 years ago I wanted additional dental coverage because of the amount of work I needed done. I looked at plans from several carriers. There were some lower premium plans. However when I looked for dentists in network in my area within a short driving distance, I did not find very many. With the lower consumer premiums, I figured there was a lower provider reimbursement schedule which accounted for low provider participation in the plan network. For a combination of that and some coverage restrictions, I did not consider Ameritas for a secondary or tertiary coverage.

Unless you use Manhattan or UNL which have no networks.