Savings Program or Individual Insurance?
Here are some tips to help you decide whether insurance or a savings program is best for you.
Q. Would you prefer to pay a monthly premium and know that you have dental coverage to limit the out-of-pocket expenses you may incur for unplanned dental costs?
A. Consider individual insurance.
Q. Would you prefer to pay a single annual fee to get access to discounts from participating providers rather than worry about claims forms and the percentage of coverage for which you are eligible?
A. Consider the savings program.
Q. Do you have a Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account?
A.You can be reimbursed for most out-of-pocket expenses related to dental or vision services or equipment that are not cosmetic whether you are enrolled in an insurance or savings program. You cannot be reimbursed for membership fees for a savings program like Extras or for premiums paid toward individual insurance. With individual insurance, you can be reimbursed for deductibles, co-pays or coinsurance. With Extras you can be reimbursed for any dental or vision costs you incur – and these costs will be discounted, on average, from 20 to 40 percent if you see a participating provider.
Q. Do you need dental work or vision care today or very soon?
A.There are waiting periods associated with individual insurance, but no waiting periods for the savings program.
Q. Do you need vision care?
A.There are no vision benefits associated with individual insurance. Extras does offer discounts on vision care and vision materials such as contact lenses and eye glasses.
Q. Do you need coverage for two or more people?
A.The individual insurance plan will cover one person, so you will need to purchase multiple coverage. The Extras product features a family membership at a slightly higher price than the individual membership. Also, Extras' definition of family is more extensive than the typical insurance definition.
Q. Are you likely to need extensive dental care that may exceed the annual maximum of coverage for a single year under the individual insurance plan?
A. Insurance plans typically feature an annual maximum, limiting the amount of claims you can submit for coverage in typical 12-month period. Extras does not have an annual maximum. You can use your membership card for discounts as often as you deem necessary over the course of 12 months.
Q. Do you have a dentist or optometrist that you prefer to see?
A. Double check to see if your current provider is in the Extras networks. Your dentist or optometrist of choice may not participate in the Extras program. If you are unwilling to go with a participating provider, Extras is not a good choice for you.
The individual PPO dental plan offers coverage for in-network dentists as well as for visits for out-of-network dentists. You are likely to incur lower out-of-pocket expenses when you select an in-network dentist, but you do have the option to go out-of-network. Please note that this individual product does not feature the DCPG network, but uses a smaller network of quality dentists. There is also no vision coverage associated with the individual dental PPO plan.
DCPG also offers an indemnity dental plan for individuals which allows members to see any licensed dentist in the United States. The out-of-pocket exposure tends to be greater. There is no vision coverage associated with the individual indemnity plan.
Q. Do you want something easy to understand and easy to use?
A. Consider Extras. A savings program is an easier concept to understand and works the same way every time you visit a participating provider.