If you are a senior citizen and need dental care, you may be wondering which type of dental plan is best for you. There are many different dental plans available, but not all of them will be a good fit for seniors. In this blog post, we will discuss the three best dental plans for seniors and why they may be a good choice for you.
Does Medicare Cover Dental
Original Medicare does not provide comprehensive dental care, and Medicare Part A will only cover select dental services that require hospitalization. For most types of dental care, such as cleanings, X-rays, or root canals, you’ll need dental coverage through an Advantage plan, a standalone dental plan, or Medicaid.
What Dental Does Part A Cover?
There are only a few dental services that Part A will cover. These include:
- Services that require hospitalization, such as oral surgery or treatment for a jaw fracture
- Anesthesia used during a covered dental procedure
- Dental care received while you’re an inpatient in a skilled nursing facility
What Dental Does Part B Cover?
Medicare Part B will cover some preventive dental services, such as teeth cleanings and oral exams. Part B will also cover diagnostic dental services, such as X-rays. However, Medicare Part B does not cover most routine dental care, such as fillings or tooth extractions.
How Much Coverage Can You Get Through Medicare Advantage?
Advantage plans are the primary method for dental coverage under Medicare.
What’s usually covered:
- Cleanings
- Exams
- X-rays
- Crowns
- Fillings
- Root canals
- Bridges
- Tooth extractions
- Implants
Medicare Advantage is bundled plan that combines add-on benefits such as dental or vision with Original Medicare (Part A and B) and additional cost-sharing for medical needs. About 94% of Advantage plans offer the option of dental coverage. However, sometimes there is an additional fee to include dental coverage in your plan.
For example, the standard Medicare Advantage plan from Kaiser Permanente doesn’t include dental care, but if you upgrade to the Medicare Advantage Plus plan, you’ll get dental, vision, and hearing coverage.
The level of dental coverage with Medicare Advantage plans varies. Some have an annual payout limit, such as only contributing $1,500 to your dental care each year. Other plans could have coverage specifications on the number of cleanings per year or denture coverage.
Is Standalone Dental Better?
If you’re not signing up for a Medicare Advantage plan that gives you unified coverage across medical and dental, a standalone dental plan is the next best way to get coverage.
You can purchase a plan directly from a private insurance company, and most let you sign up for dental insurance even if you don’t have medical insurance through the company. This plan won’t be connected to your other coverage through the Medicare program, but it can help you get cost-savings benefits so you get the dental services you need.
Benefits of stand alone dental plans:
- Choose the level of coverage you want, with plans ranging from basic or preventative coverage to plans that cover more extensive dental treatments.
- Select the insurance company that has your preferred dentists in its network of providers without this choice influencing your medical plan.
Dental plans for seniors include Dental HMOs, which generally have lower monthly costs but only cover care from an in-network dentist. If you’d rather have the flexibility to see any dentist, choose a Dental PPO plan that provides broader coverage but generally costs more each month.
Can Dental Coverage Change in 2022?
Known as the Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act, the idea has support from the White House as part of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. Specifically, the fiscal year 2022 budget proposal for the U.S. government indicates the intent to “improve access to dental, hearing, and vision coverage in Medicare.”
This is not the first time it has been proposed to offer dental coverage to Medicare beneficiaries, and it’s an important health care issue. About 47% of those on Medicare don’t have dental coverage.
The legislative process will determine if Medicare benefits are expanded in 2022 to include dental. However, there is a political incentive because adding dental, vision and hearing is cheaper than other proposed Medicare extensions, such as adding nursing home coverage.
Best Dental Plans
- Medicare advantage
- Standalone Dental Plan
- Senior Based Discount Plan
We thank you for joining us today. Please keep in mind dental coverage is not held as accountable as regular insurance.