Is dental insurance going the way of the company pension plan?

Are we about to become a toothless nation?

Once upon a pre-recessionary time, dental insurance -- along with matching 401k's and other now long-forgotten benefits -- was a pot-sweetener among American corporations trying to lure the best and the brightest to come work for them. Now, it seems that dental insurance may fall the way of the company pension -- just one more thing employers used to provide but are increasingly sacrificing because of cost-cutting and bottom-line greed.

The pity is that history shows that dental insurance is the only thing standing between healthy teeth and a nation of folks dining through a straw.

According to a recent Gallup-Healthways poll, almost 35% of Americans haven't seen a dentist in the past 12 months. And that may be because 45% of the population doesn't have any type of dental coverage, says the National Association of Dental Plans. More than 33% of employers aren't providing dental coverage and those that do offer limited benefits. In some places, like South Dakota, only 19% of all employers offer dental insurance.

The state with highest percent of companies offering both health and dental insurance was Alaska -- 80.8%. The lowest was Vermont at 43%.

Once you leave the corporately employed arena, the picture worsens quickly. Many corporate retiree plans provide medical benefits until a retiree turns 65 and is eligible for Medicare. But not many have dental insurance as part of the package. The same is true for vision care. These services aren't covered at a time when many need them most -- as we age, our teeth and vision weaken.

For the millions who were laid off from jobs, COBRA provides a dental and vision care continuation (assuming you already had those benefits while working). It lasts, with extensions, for up to 18 months in most states. Then, assuming you haven't found another job to provide dental insurance, you are out on the limb alone hoping the tooth fairy stops by. Insurers do write dental policies for individuals and family but, as a rule, they cost a lot and limit what they cover.

An example: Delta Dental in California writes an individual family policy that maxs out what they'll pay for at either $1,000 or $1,500 per year depending on the plan. These policies cost about $2,000 a year and won't cover any major procedures for the first 12 months. So basically you can get your teeth cleaned and treat the errant cavity (at 50%) but don't even think about a root canal, bridgework or braces for the kids.

There are also dental plans -- not insurance -- which negotiate what they consider "deep discounts" starting at 10% with dentists who agree to cut you a break. The deal is you have to go to those dentists. Some of these plans are capped at $2,200 per family as well.

Dan Callahan, the former public relations director for Delta Dental Plan of Minnesota and editor of Health Care Issues, says that dental insurance has always been regarded as "nice to have, but not essential." It's an attitude that leads many to simply not go for routine checkups and cleanings and only head for the dentist in emergency situations.

Dental insurance, he says, is more of a prepayment system. You have a combination of deductibles and co-pays and premiums that really require you to follow through on all your preventative care and maintenance visits to even get your money's worth.

The best advice may be the simplest. Talk to your dentist and explain the situation. Ask him for a discount and buy yourself a good toothbrush.

Vision and Dental Insurance Premiums To Continue Rising In 2011

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.

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?

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.

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.