Work you already know you need
A crown planned for March changes the maths, and waiting periods are the reason we ask.
Ancillary
Dental, vision and hearing
Original Medicare does not cover routine dental, most vision or hearing aids. Marketplace plans cover children's dental but adult dental is usually a separate purchase. This is the gap people notice first.
What this actually is
Dental plans come in two shapes. Scheduled or indemnity plans pay a fixed amount per procedure and let you use any dentist. Network PPO plans negotiate a discount and pay a percentage, usually with a waiting period on major work and an annual maximum.
The annual maximum is the number to read. A plan with a low premium and a low annual maximum can be worth less than the premiums you pay into it if you need a crown. We show the maximum, the waiting periods and the percentage paid on basic and major work side by side.
Vision cover is usually a modest benefit for an exam plus an allowance toward frames or contacts. Hearing benefits vary widely, and for Medicare clients a hearing allowance inside an Advantage plan is often better value than a standalone policy. We compare both rather than assume.
What we do on this line
- Annual maximum, deductible and coinsurance compared in one table
- Waiting periods for basic and major services stated plainly
- Whether your dentist is in network, checked by office and not just by carrier
- Vision allowance compared against what you actually spend on frames or contacts
- Hearing aid benefits compared against the allowance inside Medicare Advantage plans
- Honest advice when a plan is not worth buying for your situation
What moves the number
Price is not random. These are the levers, in the order they usually matter.
Your dentist
An out-of-network dentist can undo a good network discount.
Annual maximum
Common ranges run from around one thousand to two thousand dollars a year.
Medicare Advantage extras
If you have an Advantage plan, you may already have an allowance. Check before buying twice.
How the appointment runs
- 01
Ask
What work you have had, what you know is coming and who your dentist is.
- 02
Compare
Premium against annual maximum against waiting period. On one page.
- 03
Decide
Including the option of not buying, when the maths does not support it.
- 04
Use it
We help with claim questions and with finding an in-network provider.
Questions we get about dental, vision and hearing
Original Medicare does not cover routine dental care. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a dental allowance, which varies a great deal by plan and by county.
To stop people buying a plan the week before a crown. Basic services often have a short wait, major services commonly six to twelve months. Check the specific plan.
No. A discount plan is not insurance. It gives you a negotiated rate at participating dentists and pays nothing. Sometimes that is the better buy, and we will say so.
Standalone dental and vision plans are generally available year-round, unlike major medical. That is one of the few flexible parts of this market.
Often bought alongside
Medicare Advantage
Part C plans that bundle hospital, medical and usually drug coverage inside a carrier network.
Read the detailACA Marketplace plans
Individual and family plans bought through HealthCare.gov, with premium tax credits applied up front.
Read the detailCritical illness and supplemental
Cash-benefit policies that pay you directly when a deductible is the least of your problems.
Read the detailTwenty minutes usually settles it
Bring your prescriptions, the doctors you want to keep and a rough income number. We do the rest.
Our help is free to you. We are paid by the carrier you choose, and the premium is the same whether you use us or enrol on your own.