What’s the difference between Dental Ins and Dental Discount?
I do not have a job and need work on my teeth. My father is trying to get single dental ins for me but he can’t find ins only dental discount plans. When we start out they say insurance plan, then when we call to order they say well this is just a dental discount plan. What’s the difference?
Insurance allows you to see a dentist who charges, for example, $1000.00 for the crown. You pay $500 and the insurance pays $500. The dentist is paid his full fee. With a discount plan, the "insurance" company pays $0.0 and you pay $500.00. But now the dentist only makes $500.00. Do you think that the dentist that accepts $500.00 as full payment does the same type of quality dentistry as the dentist that accepts $500.00? You can’t get something for nothing. Only the government thinks that way.
Insurance allows you to see a dentist who charges, for example, $1000.00 for the crown. You pay $500 and the insurance pays $500. The dentist is paid his full fee. With a discount plan, the "insurance" company pays $0.0 and you pay $500.00. But now the dentist only makes $500.00. Do you think that the dentist that accepts $500.00 as full payment does the same type of quality dentistry as the dentist that accepts $500.00? You can’t get something for nothing. Only the government thinks that way.
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I’m a dentist.
A dental discount plan is a plan that gets dentists to sign up for particiaption. If they participate, they accept a certain discounted fee for the services provided. The company administering the discount plan pays out nothing. The advantage is that you pay (usually a smaller amount than for dental insurance) the administrator to allow you to be in the group that gets a discount and for the administrator to recruit dentists for the program.
The advantage to the dentist is some advertisement and possibly a larger patient pool.
If you know the dentist is a member of a discount program, ask if they would extend the discount to you. (save you the plan fees)
A dental insurance (or benefit plan) sets a fee schedule for designated dental procedures. A participating dentist agrees to accept those fees as payment in full. The difference is that the insurance company will pay a portion of that discounted fee up to your maximum annual benefit (usually $1500). After you maximum has been reached either you must pay full fee, or the full discounted scheduled fee, depending on state laws and your contract with the company. Non covered services are similar- some states allow the plan to require the dentist accept a discounted fee for non covered services even thought the company will pay nothing, some states do not allow that, even if the plan requires it. Some plans allow the dentist to charge full fee for non covered services.
If the dentist does not participate with the plan, then he/she can require full payment of his/her fee. Sometimes the insurance company will pay part of that IF they allow out of network coverage. Generally they pay less than for in network, and you have a larger co-payment because the fee has not been discounted. If they do not allow out of network, you pay the full dentist fee.
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well the discount card definatley has less dentist that belong to there plan. and w insurance you get a certain amount a year that applys toward different procedures. like a 1000 per year and if really good 1500 or 2000 but rare. w insurance they will actually pay example 100% cleanings 80% for fillinsg and 50% for crowns etc.
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