Unhappy with your current coverage and want to change plans? We can tell you:
Switching dental insurance isn’t hard. It involves 1) discontinuing enrollment in one plan, and 2) enrolling in another. However, there are a few important issues related to these two activities and we’ll review them so you can switch plans with confidence.
The first step in cancelling your dental coverage is contacting your insurance company’s customer service number and asking about the process to terminate your policy. Typically the option is to cancel the policy by phone prior to the next monthly billing. Once you have the information you need on the cancellation process, it is advisable to delay cancelling your current dental insurance until you have arranged for new coverage.
If your existing dental plan is a yearly plan, review your plan’s documentation about early cancellation. If early cancellation is not allowed, you can wait for the end of the policy term and then cancel the policy. If there is an early cancellation fee, you should weigh the cost of this fee versus the advantages you believe you will get by switching to a different plan before the end of your existing plan’s coverage term.
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If not done correctly, a switch in dental insurance plans can lead to a gap in insurance coverage. A gap is a period when an individual’s dental needs are not protected by the old or the new insurance plan. This can be especially problematic if a serious event occurs like a broken or knocked out tooth.
In order to prevent a gap, you can coordinate insurance coverage to begin the day after the last day of the old plan’s coverage. If that is not possible, you can schedule the cancellation for the earliest date AFTER your new coverage becomes active.
Most modern dental insurance websites, including this one, allow individuals to enroll online. The first step is to get an insurance price quote. After finding the plan that satisfies your needs and budget, click the Enroll button. This will start the application process. During this process, the insurance plan will display the earliest date that the insurance can be effective for you. Normally the application for dental insurance is a short process, taking around five minutes to complete.
When you switch dental insurance, you want to make the new plan an improvement as compared to your previous coverage. While there are many dimensions to dental coverage, you should prioritize the dental services you need covered, the annual dollar limits on covered care, and the total costs of the insurance.
A dental benefit refers to category of dentist services or care covered by an insurance plan. Dental benefits are not standardized. This means the number of dental services covered under insurance varies by plan. Before enrolling in a dental plan, you should confirm it has not only the services you expect to use (e.g. annual cleanings, fillings) but also services that you might reasonably need (e.g. root canals or crowns).
PPO dental plans and indemnity dental plans have annual restrictions on how much the insurance company will pay for an enrollee’s covered care. This dollar limit is known as the plan’s maximum benefit. The average maximum benefit is around $1,500 dollars a year but there are some plans on the market that have $5,000 annual limits and higher.
The total cost of insurance is its annual premiums and the out-of-pocket costs it charges for covered dental care. If a plan has a very low monthly premium but high out-of-pocket costs, you might pay more money over the course of the year than would have been the case for a plan with a higher premium. When comparing plans, take both the premiums and the out-of-pocket costs into consideration.
For more information, see our article “How to Choose the Right Dental Insurance & Not Waste Money.”
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Before you enroll in a new plan, you should investigate two more important issues. The first is whether your dentist will accept your new insurance. If your dentist does not accept the insurance, you will need to find a new dentist or face the prospect of paying 100 percent of your dental care costs without help from insurance because you received out-of-network dental care. If your dentist does accept the new insurance you want, ask he or she is in-network or is an out-of-network dentist. Out-of-network dentists come with higher out-of-pocket costs.
A final consideration on a new insurance policy is whether there are waiting periods on dental services. A waiting period is a minimum enrollment period (e.g. 6 months) before the plan will cover a specific dental procedure. If the dental plan has a waiting period on a service you need immediately, you will pay 100 percent of the cost.
Our knowledgeable customer service team will assist you with any questions you may have prior to enrolling in a dental plan. They can guide you through the process of choosing coverage that matches your needs as well as your budget.
