You've got a quote...now what? Here's our handy guide to reading quotes for 3 different types of plans:
1. Discount Dental Plan:
1a. In the top right of your quote, you'll see how much it would cost for you to join ("Member"), you and a spouse ("PlusOne"), or you, your spouse, and kids ("Family").
1b. The middle of your quote shows you how much you would pay for one person to receive the dental service indicated. A filling, for example, would cost $66. Note that there's no waiting period for this service. Other plans might have a waiting period listed, so be sure you check this if you need dental work right away.
1c. The bottom of your quote explains that there's no limit to the number of times you can use your dental discount. There is no annual or lifetime maximum. This is a handy feature if you know you need a ton of work done. Expensive procedures, like a crown, can eat up a policy's yearly maximum (if it has one).
Note that there is also no deductible or co-pay. This is a feature of discount plans. These plans are similar to clubs—you pay a monthly fee to become a member, and in return, you're given discounts when you go to the dentist. It's not a traditional insurance policy with deductibles, co-insurance, and co-pay. If you need care now (and lots of it), this is a great choice.
2. Indemnity Plan:
2a. In the top right of your quote, you'll see how much it would cost for you to join ("Member"), you and a spouse ("PlusOne"), or you, your spouse, and kids ("Family").
2b. The middle of your quote shows you how much your insurance pays for one covered person to receive the dental service indicated. Compare this indemnity plan to the discount plan above. In the discount plan, you pay $66 per filling. The price is set. With the above indemnity plan, your plan pays between 25-80% of the cost of your filling (the exact amount depends on what your dentist charges for the filling).
Also, just like the discount plan above, there's no waiting period for this service. That's a plus!
2c. The bottom of this quote shows you that the plan maximum per person per year is $500. This means that they will only pay $500 per covered individual. After that, you're on your own in terms of dental expenses.
Note that there is also a small deductible of $50. This means that you need to pay $50 in one calendar year toward the cost of your dental care before the insurance kicks in. If you need two fillings, for example, you would pay that $50 toward the cost of those fillings, and the insurance would pay between 25-80% of the rest of the cost.
This plan also has a co-pay, a small amount that you pay for each office visit you make. Most health insurance plans work this way, too, so you're probably familiar with this.
3. PPO Plan:
3a. In the top right of your quote, just like the other two, you'll see how much it would cost for you to join ("Member"), you and a spouse ("PlusOne"), or you, your spouse, and kids ("Family").
3b. The middle of the quote shows you how much you pay for one covered person to receive the dental service indicated. Compare this PPO plan to the discount plan shown at the top of the page. With the discount plan, you pay $66 per filling—with this PPO plan, you pay $78 per filling. Compare both of these set prices to the indemnity plan, where the price is flexible based on what your dentist charges. The right choice for you depends on the kind of care you need.
Also, just like the discount plan and the indemnity plan above, there's no waiting period for any of these services.
3c. The bottom of this quote shows you that there is NO plan maximum per person per year. If you need a lot of expensive dental work (like crowns or bridges), this could be a huge benefit. If multiple members of your family need lots of dental work, this feature could end up saving you tons of money.
Note that like the indemnity plan, you would also have a small deductible of $50 for one person. This means that you need to pay $50 in one calendar year toward the cost of your dental care before the insurance kicks in. But with this plan, there's no maximum, so that $50 is a small investment in what could be thousands of dollars of dental care you receive.
This plan also has no co-pay, which might be a feature you're willing to pay for.
