In 2011, federal employees will see an increase in the vision and dental coverage costs on top of a drastic jump in their health insurance premiums. The Office of Personnel Management has indicated that premiums for dental insurance are going to rise by 3.8 % and will reach an average of $15.33 per pay period for every individual, $43.85 for family plans, and $30.06 for self plus one arrangement.
Vision insurance is expected to go up by 3%, thereby costing an individual $4.78 for each pay period, family users $14..11, and self plus one enrollees a total of $9.55 . Dental premiums, on the other hand, increased by 4.2% whereas vision increased by 2.4% in 2010.
OPM indicated that there are no any significant changes in all the plans that are offered through the aegis of the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP). All enrollees have the freedom to choose from seven different dental insurance plans as well as three vision plans.
Although the changes to the FEDVIP appear minimal, all federal employees are going to see, for the third straight year, a rise in health insurance costs by more than 7%. On October 1, OPM announced that there would be an increase by 7.2% in premiums for all enrollees in the Federal Employees Health Benefits
On Monday, John Berry, OPM Director said that he would rather not increase dental insurance premiums, but costs of healthcare are increasing nationwide. For the first time, FEHBP will cover cessation incentives on tobacco, provide preventative screening free of charge to all enrollees, and extend medical coverage to age 26.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Patients flying abroad for dental work
The price of dental care can be pretty costly. Even if you have insurance, you can be stuck paying thousands of dollars out of pocket -- which is prompting some people to actually leave the country to save money. The practice is called "dental tourism."
In the case of Shelia Liner, she'd had broken, damaged front teeth for years. Even with dental insurance she was quoted around $14,000 to fix them. She couldn't come near to affording that price: "I just thought I'll never be able to have it done," said Liner.
Her alternative was to book a trip through a dental tourism company, which found her a dentist to do the work in Costa Rica. So, on her next vacation, she also took a trip to the dentist for the surgery. Cost for the dental work: $3,600.
"I was just so excited to be able to smile again," said Shelia. "It had been a long time!"
The concept of dental tourism is growing -- with experts citing more cases of people venturing outside the country to get dental work done for much less, in locales like Mexico, Turkey, Brazil, Thailand, and Korea. Recent statistics show more than 40% of U.S. residents don't have dental insurance, and many who are actually covered complain about high out-of-pocket costs.
The American Dental Association defends those costs with a pledge of safety -- and high standards of training to get a license, all rigorously maintained by the government. "Our fees here reflect a very robust system of safety," said Dr. Edmond Hewlett of the ADA. He says you get what you pay for; in other countries, dentists may not have the same level of training or safety standards.
David Boucher, the president of Companion Global Healthcare, the dental tourism company Shelia used, says it thoroughly checks out all its dentists: "All our dental clinics have been fully vetted. Somebody from our company has visited all the dentists in our network."
The company says many of its dentists were actually trained in the U.S., but by operating outside the country they can charge less due to less overhead -- equipment, rent and labor costs are cheaper.
Nevertheless, the American Dental Association urges people to carefully consider all options before going to a foreign country for care.
"In these difficult economic times when everybody's looking to save money, and 'What can I cut out?' my own personal opinion, your body shouldn't be the first place to look to start making cuts," said Dr. Hewlett.
More food for thought: Some U.S. insurance companies will indeed pay for dental work performed out of the country.
However, industry experts also raise a good point you should ask your dental tourism company. Who pays to fix it if something goes wrong with your dental work?
In the case of Shelia Liner, she'd had broken, damaged front teeth for years. Even with dental insurance she was quoted around $14,000 to fix them. She couldn't come near to affording that price: "I just thought I'll never be able to have it done," said Liner.
Her alternative was to book a trip through a dental tourism company, which found her a dentist to do the work in Costa Rica. So, on her next vacation, she also took a trip to the dentist for the surgery. Cost for the dental work: $3,600.
"I was just so excited to be able to smile again," said Shelia. "It had been a long time!"
The concept of dental tourism is growing -- with experts citing more cases of people venturing outside the country to get dental work done for much less, in locales like Mexico, Turkey, Brazil, Thailand, and Korea. Recent statistics show more than 40% of U.S. residents don't have dental insurance, and many who are actually covered complain about high out-of-pocket costs.
The American Dental Association defends those costs with a pledge of safety -- and high standards of training to get a license, all rigorously maintained by the government. "Our fees here reflect a very robust system of safety," said Dr. Edmond Hewlett of the ADA. He says you get what you pay for; in other countries, dentists may not have the same level of training or safety standards.
David Boucher, the president of Companion Global Healthcare, the dental tourism company Shelia used, says it thoroughly checks out all its dentists: "All our dental clinics have been fully vetted. Somebody from our company has visited all the dentists in our network."
The company says many of its dentists were actually trained in the U.S., but by operating outside the country they can charge less due to less overhead -- equipment, rent and labor costs are cheaper.
Nevertheless, the American Dental Association urges people to carefully consider all options before going to a foreign country for care.
"In these difficult economic times when everybody's looking to save money, and 'What can I cut out?' my own personal opinion, your body shouldn't be the first place to look to start making cuts," said Dr. Hewlett.
More food for thought: Some U.S. insurance companies will indeed pay for dental work performed out of the country.
However, industry experts also raise a good point you should ask your dental tourism company. Who pays to fix it if something goes wrong with your dental work?
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Dental Insurance Coverage for Orthodontics
It is important to know if your dental insurance policy covers care for orthodontic services like braces.
There are many people who have dental insurance may think that they have orthodontic care coverage when that may not be true.
If you have children may soon need braces you should start the search now for a good dental insurance policy that will help to offset the costs of orthodontic care.
The first thing to do when you start your search for orthodontic insurance is to know what you currently have.
You should look at your employer sponsored or individual dental insurance policy to determine what coverage you have for orthodontic care such as braces.
If you determine that you have no or little coverage you need to research other dental insurance policies.
It isn’t too difficult to research dental insurance policies. You first need to determine if you want a dental discount plan or a dental insurance plan.
With a dental discount plan you usually have to go to specific dentists who accept the discount plan. With a dental insurance plan you will receive a percentage off of your orthodontic care and dental visits. Dental insurance plans work the same way as health insurance.
You might have to pay a co payment for some services and maybe a deductible prior to getting some dental services.
Once you have determined whether you want a dental discount plan or a dental insurance plan, you then need to determine what orthodontic care is covered.
You also need to research the coverage of the orthodontic care and you should research four areas of the dental plan which are Exclusions, Co Payments, Deductibles, and Premiums. Everybody’s situation is different so if you happen to find a dental plan that has an inexpensive premium, that doesn’t mean that it will meet all of your needs.
When you are research dental insurance plans, you should check with your employer to see what dental coverage they offer.
There are many people who have dental insurance may think that they have orthodontic care coverage when that may not be true.
If you have children may soon need braces you should start the search now for a good dental insurance policy that will help to offset the costs of orthodontic care.
The first thing to do when you start your search for orthodontic insurance is to know what you currently have.
You should look at your employer sponsored or individual dental insurance policy to determine what coverage you have for orthodontic care such as braces.
If you determine that you have no or little coverage you need to research other dental insurance policies.
It isn’t too difficult to research dental insurance policies. You first need to determine if you want a dental discount plan or a dental insurance plan.
With a dental discount plan you usually have to go to specific dentists who accept the discount plan. With a dental insurance plan you will receive a percentage off of your orthodontic care and dental visits. Dental insurance plans work the same way as health insurance.
You might have to pay a co payment for some services and maybe a deductible prior to getting some dental services.
Once you have determined whether you want a dental discount plan or a dental insurance plan, you then need to determine what orthodontic care is covered.
You also need to research the coverage of the orthodontic care and you should research four areas of the dental plan which are Exclusions, Co Payments, Deductibles, and Premiums. Everybody’s situation is different so if you happen to find a dental plan that has an inexpensive premium, that doesn’t mean that it will meet all of your needs.
When you are research dental insurance plans, you should check with your employer to see what dental coverage they offer.
Large Companies More Likely to Offer Dental Insurance
Larger companies and those in more populated areas of the United States are more likely to offer dental insurance to workers, finds the first comprehensive study on the issue.
The analysis of state-by-state and nationwide dental insurance coverage offered by 6.4 million employers was conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
They found that 56 percent of U.S. companies offered health insurance, 35 percent offered dental insurance, and 63 percent of those that offered health insurance also offered dental insurance.
Alaska had the highest percentage of firms offering both health and dental coverage (80.8 percent), while the lowest was Vermont, at 42.8 percent.
Businesses that offer dental insurance are more likely to employ a greater number of people, have more than one location and be older, more established companies.
The analysis of state-by-state and nationwide dental insurance coverage offered by 6.4 million employers was conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
They found that 56 percent of U.S. companies offered health insurance, 35 percent offered dental insurance, and 63 percent of those that offered health insurance also offered dental insurance.
Alaska had the highest percentage of firms offering both health and dental coverage (80.8 percent), while the lowest was Vermont, at 42.8 percent.
Businesses that offer dental insurance are more likely to employ a greater number of people, have more than one location and be older, more established companies.
Dental Insurance – For the health of Your Teeth
Dental insurance is needed nowadays since dentistry could be costly. Regardless of what, adults, children and senior citizens need this since getting great dental well being is important. When somebody does not look after the teeth, the teeth and gum suffer for example getting dentistry issues with cavities or root canal. And each procedures are extra money that most people can’t afford so having dental insurance is essential.
Some major well being insurance providers will also offer dental insurance. And there are other businesses that solely supply dental insurance. If you know that you’ll be needing some main dentistry work carried out, you ought to have dental insurance protection. Otherwise, you’ll have to spend out-of-pocket its your methods, and that can get very pricey. For instance, a root canal on a front teeth can range from $300.00 to $700.00, and on a molar can price as much as $900.00. And to get a porcelain crown, you are able to spend up to $900.00. If you prefer a gold crown, be prepared to spend more, sometimes over $1,000.00. That happens to be a big amount of cash to spend previously. And even if your dentist will accept payments, it is still a hardship to make these funds on the monthly foundation, along with all of your other month-to-month expenditures.
In some instances, there’s also deductibles which is the amount you should pay as a dental member of yearly dental expenditures. In that scenario, the plan was not in effect yet so the member need to wait in order for the dental business every single child spend for the future expenses. And in addition, you have the co-payment and co-insurance. The meaning in between the two are exactly where for co-payment, it’s ether a fixed dollar amount or a proportion for every dentistry visits while for co-insurance are percentage of the fee being charged for every visits.
Some major well being insurance providers will also offer dental insurance. And there are other businesses that solely supply dental insurance. If you know that you’ll be needing some main dentistry work carried out, you ought to have dental insurance protection. Otherwise, you’ll have to spend out-of-pocket its your methods, and that can get very pricey. For instance, a root canal on a front teeth can range from $300.00 to $700.00, and on a molar can price as much as $900.00. And to get a porcelain crown, you are able to spend up to $900.00. If you prefer a gold crown, be prepared to spend more, sometimes over $1,000.00. That happens to be a big amount of cash to spend previously. And even if your dentist will accept payments, it is still a hardship to make these funds on the monthly foundation, along with all of your other month-to-month expenditures.
In some instances, there’s also deductibles which is the amount you should pay as a dental member of yearly dental expenditures. In that scenario, the plan was not in effect yet so the member need to wait in order for the dental business every single child spend for the future expenses. And in addition, you have the co-payment and co-insurance. The meaning in between the two are exactly where for co-payment, it’s ether a fixed dollar amount or a proportion for every dentistry visits while for co-insurance are percentage of the fee being charged for every visits.
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