The best dental insurance NJ plans are designed to help in the payment of dental costs. You will pay premiums to a dental insurance company, and the company will pay a specified amount towards dental coverage. With so many dental insurance plans, it’s important to know their differences.
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PPO (dental preferred provider organizations)
Also commonly referred to as DPPOs these plans are popular because they allow members to choose their own dental care providers. These plans offer better services and they don’t have as many limitations like DHMO dental plans. However, their monthly premiums are higher.
These plans have a network of dentists that have accepted the maximum reasonable dental fees as dictated by the plan. Dental services will be more affordable if you choose a dental service provider within the network, but you are free to choose a dentist outside the network.
Although PPO dental plans are flexible, they have some limitations. Apart from high monthly premiums, you will be required to fill long and tedious claim forms and wait for a long time before you can be reimbursed. As a member of a PPO plan, you will also be required to pay a deductible before you can receive dental services. What’s more, these plans only pay part of the dental care costs which means that you will have to make a co-payment to the dental care service provider.
DHMO (Dental health maintenance organizations)
Also commonly referred to as capitation or pre-paid dental insurance plans, these plans are more affordable. They require you to choose one dental care facility that can coordinate all your oral care needs. In case you need to a specialized dental practitioner, your primary dental care provider will refer you. Keep in mind that special dental care may require pre-authorization from your insurance company.
A standard DHMO plan won’t have any maximums or any deductibles. However, every time you visit your dentist, you will pay a fixed amount for the treatment or copayment. Most of the time preventive and diagnostic dental services don’t have copayments. Therefore, you will have to cater for the full bill.
Indemnity Plans
These plans are often known as traditional insurance. When you purchase this type of dental insurance, the company will pay for the claims based on the dental procedures performed which is often a certain percentage of the dental fees. Normally, an indemnity plan will allow you to choose your own dental care provider. However, most of these plans have annual maximum limits for various dental procedures which are often referred to as usual customary and reasonable fees or (UCR).
What You Should Know About Traditional Dental Insurance
Dental insurance premiums range between $20 to $50 per month for a typical individual plan while a family dental plan ranges between $50 and $150 depending on the scope of coverage. In case your employer offers a dental plan, most likely they will only pay a portion of the annual premiums for you. However, when purchasing dental insurance by yourself, you will have to pay the full cost.
Dental Discount Plans are the Best Dental Insurance NJ Alternatives
Also referred to as dental savings plans, dental discount plans are not dental insurance because they don’t pay for your dental expenses. Instead, you get discounted dental services from participating dentists across the country. Therefore, you won’t pay any deductibles, co-pays, or wait before you can receive dental services. A typical DentalSave discount plan offers discounts ranging from 20 to 50 percent. These plans are very affordable, individual plans cost as little as $99 annually while a family dental plan costs approximately $165.