1. Health Care Reform requires me to purchase pediatric dental benefits as part of my health plan.
False. In Virginia, individuals are not required by law to purchase pediatric dental benefits as part of a health plan. If health insurance companies are forcing you to purchase dental benefits you do not want or need, it is because they are simply choosing to do so.
2. It’s better to bundle dental benefits with your medical plan.
False. While bundling some services like phone and Internet can be a great deal, families should think twice about bundling medical and dental insurance. Bundling medical and dental insurance can result in patients owing much more money out of pocket when the dental benefits are tied to a high medical deductible.
Estimating the costs of treating a child who visits the dentist twice in a year and receives some pretty common procedures, such as cleanings, X-rays, fluoride, sealants, a couple fillings and a pulled tooth, reveals that the family in a bundled plan where the dental is subject to the medical deductible would owe 100% of the $746 bill (assuming the high medical deductible had not been met). A family in a traditional stand-alone dental plan would owe $140. Even taking into consideration the difference in the premium costs between the 2 plans, the family is better off in a traditional stand-alone dental plan.
Think twice before bundling. Whether you choose Delta Dental, the choice of 60 million Americans, or another standalone dental carrier, keeping your family’s medical and dental plans separate might be the smartest way to go.
