Group Dental Insurance

Group dental insurance is offered on a voluntary basis (employee pays), non-voluntary (company pays) or a combination of the two. You only need two employees to have group dental insurance and it can be a husband and wife working together.

We also have group dental plans for clubs, associations and religious organizations

Group dental insurance plans are faced with the same problems as individual plans. That is, rising premiums with shrinking benefits. Plus, there is a greater use of specialists for procedures that used to be performed by the family dentist. Add to this inflation and increase in malpractice and you will soon discover that unless you have a very large group, group dental insurance is not always a bargain..

Traditional Group Dental Insurance Plans

Do you know what plan most dentist prefer? It is called the "You the Pay Me Cash With No Discounts Plan". The dentist will hand you a brochure for a finance company and tell you to go figure it all out.

Although, cash is the favorite, most dentists will also accept one or more PPO dental plans. This means that they will accept the discounted PPO rate for their services. If your dentist is nice, they can offer you the PPO rate for their services even if you don't have the insurance. You don't find too many of those around.

Group dental insurance plans have the following components:

1. Annual Out of Pocket Maximum - most plans offer between $1,000 and $2,000 of coverage per person per year. This is the maximum amount they will reimburse to you for covered procedures.

2. Payment Categories - Typically, group dental plans cover preventive visits at 100% immediately upon plan activation. There is a 6 to 12 month wait for routine care such as fillings and simple extractions. There can be a 12 to 24 month waiting period before major dental care is paid for such as root canals and crowns.

3. Payment Methods - you will encounter three types of plan payment methods.

The first uses a percentage of the charges as its basis. For example, a cleaning might be covered completely, a filling at 80% and a crown at 50%. You pay your dentist the appropriate percentage and the plan pays the rest up to the plan annual maximum.

The second type of plan is an indemnity plan. In this instance you pay your dentist at the time of visit. Then, you submit your invoice and will receive payment directly, based on the procedure. With the indemnity plan you can go to any dentist you choose since you are paying the bill directly.

The third is the DHMO plan. There is a co-pay for many procedures and a schedule that determines how much more expensive procedures will cost. Even so, the discounts are very substantial.

Which type of plan is better?

You need to compare costs, benefits and provider networks.

PPO dental insurance is usually the most expensive. If the plan is offered on a voluntary basis, a lot of employees might find that family coverage is too expensive. Plus, many employees just need routine preventive care and perhaps a filling every now and then. They do not want to pay a fortune for more extensive coverage.

The DHMO, in those areas where it is available, is often a better value. You of course need to have network dentists in your vicinity.

Discount dental plans are very affordable and provide excellent discounts for when you stay in network. Again, you need to have dentists you wish to see in your area.

For those who want affordability but anticipate the need for more extensive dental work, a hybrid indemnnity-discount plan will work best.

With group dental insurance you need to work with someone who knows the market. You can always call one of our national group dental insurance specialists for free advice. They can be reached at 954-757-0033. For large groups and associations (50+) call our large group department at 800-986-4786.

If, after reading through this website, you still need assistance, call us. Our number is 954-757-0033. We are here 9 AM to 7 PM EST, Mon - Fri.