Everything you need to know about dental insurance

While general health insurance plans manage your overall health and medical bills, they do not respond to dental care and treatments. With increasing awareness, people are more cautious about their dental health and care. Looking at this transformation, many companies provide explicit dental insurance to meet your requirements in this particular field. You can find several such plans on the iselect.com.au and compare to find the best one that will keep the good health of your smile. Most of the dental insurance plans are easier to understand as compared to general health insurance policies. These are oftentimes, straightforward. Details about the procedures that are covered and the amount that you would have to pay from your pocket are clearly stated. Dental insurance can be included in your health insurance plan or you can also take a stand-alone policy for dedicated assistance.

• System overview

The general procedure of acquiring a dental insurance plan can be a breakdown in the following points.

• You select a plan based on the practitioner (dentist) of your choice or the amount you can afford.
• You can opt for a low-priced plan if you have a dentist and he/she is a part of your insurance company network.
• In case, you don’t have a dentist, you can choose one from the company’s network that suits your budget.
• Your insurance company, the plan you choose, and your location would contribute to the premium you will have to pay.

• Waiting period

A waiting period is a tool for the insurance company to earn a sure-shot profit and reduce the chances that you make a plan to cover any dental procedure that is around the corner. This period for the standard procedure can vary from 6 months to 12 months and it can be more for typical procedures. Some companies may take as long as 2 years for such procedures. However, with extensive research and meticulous analysis, you can find insurance plans which offer services with no or very less waiting period.

• Co-pays, Co-insurance, and deductibles

It is important to understand these tricky terms before you invest in a dental insurance plan. The deductible is an amount that has to be paid to make the company interfere with the payments. For instance, if your deductible is 500 and your covered procedure is 450, the insurance company will not get involve and you will have to make the entire payment. In addition to this, you may also require to pay a set amount during the procedure which is called the co-pay. It is possible that your insurance plan covers only a part of the bill and you pay the rest which is called the co-insurance. You need to have a clear idea of all these payment terms and rules before you buy a plan.

• Categorization for the payment of the procedures

Mostly, insurance plans do not cover all the procedures and also different plans have different rules for coverage. In general, the procedures are divided into three categories – primitive, basic, and major. Primitive procedures like yearly or six-monthly checkups, x-rays, etc are often covered fully. Procedures like a filling, root canal, gum diseases, and extractions are the basic procedures and are covered with deductibles and co-pays. Insurance companies pay a major share in these cases. For the major procedures like inlays, crowns, bridges, dentures, etc you have to pay big from your pocket with the companies sharing a small part only. It is also important to note that dental insurance does not cover cosmetic procedures.