I’ve talked about dental insurance a lot in the past. But again, I had a call this week for someone who has multiple family members and needs orthodontics. Orthodontics is expensive, usually between $6,000 and $8,000 per person for the course of treatment, and dental insurance for orthodontics is really pretty terrible.
For the most part, dental insurance for any kind of work other than cleanings, and X-rays, have at least a 12-month waiting period before any benefits kick in. And then when benefits do kick in, they pay orthodontia at 50% generally, and there’s a maximum of what they will pay. This is usually between $1000-1500, a couple of plans I know of are $2000. They pay that out over the course of the treatment.
An example of orthodontic coverage is when you do the initial braces, they’ll send you a little lump sum of a few hundred dollars. And then after that, it’s a monthly amount that you receive until the treatment is done. $1000-1500 is not a whole lot of money when you factor in what you’re paying for dental insurance. A lot of plans don’t even have orthodontic coverage because it bumps up the cost of the premium.
My top tip:
- Take a detailed look at exactly what benefits the plan will pay for orthodontics
- Pay attention to maximum payout, copays, and time of payments
- Look at 12 month delay period
- Add up the cost of the premiums over the course of the treatment
- DETERMINE IF THE INSURANCE IS WORTH IT OR NOT
If it seems that your insurance will not be worth it, remember to consult with the orthodontic office about cash pay discounts, up-front payment versus down payment discounts, and see how you can get the best service for your budget.
If you need assistance with dental or any type of health insurance please feel free to reach out to me.
