The Different Types of Dental Plans Available

When you sign up for dental insurance, you have two types of dental plans to choose from. These are indemnity plans and managed care plans. You should know what is involved in each of these plans so you know what kinds of dental work each one covers and the costs involved in the policy premiums.

Indemnity plans involve a fee for service.  This is the type of dental insurance preferred by most people when they want a choice in where they can obtain the dental care they need. This type of plan allows you to use whatever dentist you wish. The normal route in this type of plan is that you pay for the dental work yourself and then submit the receipts and the paper work to be reimbursed from your insurance provider. The amount of reimbursement depends on the agreement you have in your policy. You may be responsible for paying the first 20%, for example, or you may be reimbursed for 100% of the amount you paid. Some dentists have the ability to directly bill the insurance provider and the only out of pocket expenses for you are the deductible costs.

In managed care dental insurance, the costs are very low. The disadvantage is that you are limited to specific professionals that are associated with this dental insurance provider. The dentists offer discounts to those that are part of his/her insurance network. You will have to pay more for your dental work if you decide to use a dentist that is not specified in your policy as being part of this network.

The decision of which type of plan you choose to have is up to you based on your needs. With an indemnity plan, there is more hassle involved in paperwork, but shorter wait times. In a managed care plan, the dentist will often handle the paperwork and send it in for you and all you have to do is present your insurance card when you show up for your appointment.