Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What is everyone paying for dental insurance? I received my 1st paycheck at a job and they took out $67 which I thought would be reasonable if that was for 6 months. 2nd paycheck and same story. We are paid bi-weekly. Does that sound extremely expensive to anyone else. I think I would be better off just putting that money in a savings account and going without insurance.
If I go without what are the normal costs of regular dental work in the triangle? Am I crazy here?
What is everyone paying for dental insurance? I received my 1st paycheck at a job and they took out $67 which I thought would be reasonable if that was for 6 months. 2nd paycheck and same story. We are paid bi-weekly. Does that sound extremely expensive to anyone else. I think I would be better off just putting that money in a savings account and going without insurance.
If I go without what are the normal costs of regular dental work in the triangle? Am I crazy here?
It really depends on the plan, and what they pay for, size of your co-pay, etc.
Sounds like $1742 annually, which isn't bad if you have a lot of work done with little co-pay, but sounds like a lot if you have two cleanings and a set of x-rays each year.
I think you need to look at the plan, talk to HR, and know what you are paying for.
I just had a cleaning and xrays, and paid $209. Our dental insurance reimbursed about 60%.
It really depends on the plan, and what they pay for, size of your co-pay, etc.
Sounds like $1742 annually, which isn't bad if you have a lot of work done with little co-pay, but sounds like a lot if you have two cleanings and a set of x-rays each year.
I think you need to look at the plan, talk to HR, and know what you are paying for.
I just had a cleaning and xrays, and paid $209. Our dental insurance reimbursed about 60%.
I want to say (I'll need to grab my coverage book to be sure) they have a maximum annual payout of $1500. Wouldn't that mean even if they payed everything 100% I'm still flushing $200+ a year?
I haven't been to a dentist in years so its something I really need to do but I was blown away by that price. I was thinking $10-$15 per check max.
In your shoes, I would go to the dentist, have ALL the work done, then cancel the dental insurance.
It sounds expensive to me.
I pay $10 per paycheck ($20 per month), my employer contributes about $6.50 per month. I have $1000 max coverage annually plus $1000 for ortho
Diagnostic and Preventive You pay 0% *
Basic Restorative You pay 20 %
Major Restorative You pay 40 %
Orthodontic You pay 50 %
Dental Implants You pay 50 %
I recently had a front tooth root canal and three small fillings done; I don't know how much of that was 'major or minor' restorative. I am $50 shy of my max coverage so Obviously if I have to have any more work done, it will have to wait until my next plan year!
So you need to look at what percentage you have as a 'co-pay'. Even If you are paying that much but they cover %100, I agree with your argument that you are paying in more than you are getting out!
I want to say (I'll need to grab my coverage book to be sure) they have a maximum annual payout of $1500. Wouldn't that mean even if they payed everything 100% I'm still flushing $200+ a year?
Sure sounds like it. Did you perhaps get signed up for family coverage instead of just for yourself?
If your employer is not subsidizing your dental insurance, I have found it to hardly be worth it. At my last employer a plan was offered but was not subsidized. It cost like $300 and the maximum benefit was $1000. It covered the normal costs that you could budget and plan for like cleanings but if you needed anything major done you were up a creek with that low maximum benefit. Totally the opposite of what insurance is supposed to be.
My trips to the dentist are something like $110 for a cleaning and I think a full set of x-rays was like $100 more.
I want to say (I'll need to grab my coverage book to be sure) they have a maximum annual payout of $1500. Wouldn't that mean even if they payed everything 100% I'm still flushing $200+ a year?
I haven't been to a dentist in years so its something I really need to do but I was blown away by that price. I was thinking $10-$15 per check max.
Years ago, a fellow told me that most dental insurance is basically a forced savings plan.
Sounds like yours, with an admin fee built in.
Of course, as others have pointed out, if you are covering multiple family members at $1500 each, annually, that significantly changes the value.
How many people are you covering? Just yourself? Yourself and spouse? Yourself and family?
I pay $27.80 bi-weekly for family dental coverage (about $675 a year). I looked up my coverage:
Deductible: $50 individual/$150 family
Exams, cleanings, xrays: 100%
Basic Restorative: 80% after deductible
Major Restorative: 50% after deductible
Orthodonture: 50%
Annual Max: $1500 per person
Our 6 month checkups (without xrays) cost $120. For a family of four twice a year that would total $960. So my insurance costs less than paying out of pocket - even before any "work" that any family member may need done.
Last edited by CHTransplant; 11-18-2011 at 08:21 AM..
Reason: Added benefit details
I did not pick it up at my most recent job since it pays out just about the same as the premium. Your $1700/year would cover a lot of work. Of course, I've paid $3,000 for getting the wife's wisdom teeth removed, so you need to understand the risk. Dental costs are not like medical costs, they can get only so high. My wife's pacemaker was over $100,000, however and without medical insurance we'd be ruined.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
