The Difference Between In-House & Traditional Dental Insurance Plans?
In an effort to better control where their dollars go while obtaining medical care, many people are turning to nontraditional insurance and payment options. The dental industry has also taken a page out of that book with in-house dental plans. To help you better understand the difference between traditional dental insurance and in-house dental plans, below is a list of comparisons.
You Can Set Your Own Payment Plan
When you have an in-house dental plan, you have much more flexibility in paying for your dental service. This type of plan allows you to choose between paying in full up front or paying for your service in installments. That gives you much more freedom than a dental insurance plan, which is structured with a copay the day you go to the dentist.
Freedom to Select Your Own Dentist
Most dental insurance plans require you to choose from their list of dentists in order to be covered. Although you can still sometimes choose your own outside of those they prefer, you risk paying a higher copay or deductible if you do. With an in-house dental plan, you have the ability to go to whichever dentist you want without suffering any financial defaults.
Your Preventative Care is Covered
Both in-house dental plans and dental insurance plans are designed to encourage preventative care by covering you and your family’s regular trips to the dentist. However, as mentioned above, getting X-rays with a dental insurance plan can put you in more of a financial bind with a higher copay upfront or added expense for the service billed to you later on. Because you are aware of that cost with an in-house dental plan, there are no surprises. And as previously mentioned, it’s up to you whether you pay for those X-rays the day of service or fold them into an installment plan.
One Definitive Cost
An in-house dental plan helps you keep track of the exact cost of your dental work. This frees you from dealing with copays, deductibles or maximums. On the other hand, dental insurance often leaves you having to plan ahead for dental work because they only provide a certain amount of coverage each year. So if the unexpected happens or you need major dental work, you risk paying a huge amount out of pocket or having to put off the procedure all together.
You Could Be Rewarded with Discounts
In-house dental plans cut out the middle man so you the cost of service is between you and your dentist. Since there is less administrative effort involved, the cost of your dental service is often significantly lower than you would pay with a traditional insurance plan.
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