Dental coverage can be confusing for many people to understand. This can sometimes deter individuals from purchasing a plan. However, it is extremely important to maintain the health of your teeth, otherwise, this can impact your overall health; leading to serious medial problems. Blue Shield of California is constructed to abolish this confusion and ensure that dental coverage is something that everyone can acquire with confidence.
Simplicity:
- You know exactly what you will pay upfront, so there are no hidden fees or surprises. This is extremely helpful when you are factoring your monthly or yearly medical costs into your budget.
- The premiums you do pay out of pocket are reasonable and inexpensive.
- Blue Shield of California’s dental plans are stand alone. This means you don’t have to be on a medical policy to apply for one!
- You will have access to one dental PPO and one dental HMO. This eliminates any confusion or frustration when trying to locate a dentist.
Advantages:
- You have access to a vast network of dentists and dental specialists.
- There is no waiting period for diagnostic and preventative services.
- Orthodontic benefits are available to both adults and children.
- You will be charged a minor – or no deductible – each calendar year, depending if you use a PPO or HMO dentist.
Value:
- After only two preventative visits, your plan is basically paid for. Each visit thereafter will cost you less than if you didn’t purchase any insurance coverage at all.
Ease:
- Blue Shield of California makes your monthly budgeting easier by giving you the option to combine both your medical and dental premiums together into one monthly statement.
We have mentioned PPO and HMO several times, but what exactly are they? These are two different groups available to access medical and dental care.
PPO (Preferred Provider Organization)
With a PPO plan, you are permitted to visit any dentist you wish – and there are over 19,000 in California to choose from. Although there is a list of preferred dentists, you will still receive coverage if you visit one outside of the network. A worthwhile benefit to a PPO is that your out of pocket expenses are lower then you seek out a dentist within our network. Although your premiums through PPO plans are usually more than through an HMO, you have more flexibility and fewer restrictions.
HMO (Health Maintenance Organization)
With an HMO plan, your costs – including premiums and out of pocket expenses – will be lower than if you opt for a PPO. You will also have no deductible on selected services. An HMO is more restrictive than a PPO however. You must visit a dentist that is listed on their directory; you will have a choice of approximately 8,600 dentists. If you instead choose to obtain services from a non-network facility, you will receive no coverage.
Everyone has different and unique needs when it comes to dental care, so the decision between these two plans is ultimately up to the individual.
Choosing a dental care plan in California can a very daunting task. With so many dental care plans offered by health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and health insurance agencies, choosing one that meets the your needs and that of your other family members can be very confusing. Let us help you in this endeavor by stating the top 5 reasons why should consider the Dental Blue Plans from Anthem Blue Cross of California.
1. You will get access to more than 21,000 dentists – You read it right! By enrolling in any of the four Dental Blue Plans, you can get dental care from more than 21,000 primary and specialty dentists all over California. To search for a primary or specialty care dentist go to anthem.com/ca and click “check the online provider directory.” The link should be located in the middle/right of the page. You are also welcome to contact us here at J.C. Lewis Insurance Services and we can supply you with a directory of dentists located in your area. There is never an extra fee for our services. Many people actually prefer an Insurance Agency like J.C. Lewis because you get to speak to someone live anytime wish. With large insurance companies there may be long wait times and multiple departments. With J.C. Lewis as your broker, you have only one department along with faster service. Similar to DSL Internet versus Cable modems and fast T1 lines:)
2. No deductibles to pay — As long as you use a dentist or dental specialist within the Dental Blue network, you don’t need to pay any deductibles for
teeth cleanings, dental exams and dental X-rays. As long as you pay your monthly premium these services will come to you free of charge.
3. Monetary Savings — All Dental Blue plans provide 100% coverage for the following preventive and diagnostic services: cleanings, dental exams, dental X-rays and dental sealants. Of course, this is under the assumption that you will be using a dentist within the Dental Blue network. Under the Dental Blue 100 Basic plan you will be able to get a negotiated savings for major services even though the plan says they aren’t covered. That’s right! Services such as oral surgery, endodontics, and prosthodontics will be covered at the negotiated savings while using a Dental Blue provider.
4. No waiting periods while using the Dental Blue 100 Basic plan– Once Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company has approved your policy, you can start using your Dental Blue 100 Basic plan to avail of basic and major dental services. If you are just looking to have preventive care options with coverage for your basic fillings and crowns then you found the right plan. There are no waiting periods so you can begin to use your plan immediately.
5. Coverage available now – If you are eager to begin you preventive dental health then you can apply today and be effective on a good, affordable dental plan within 1 week. You will have to allow some time for the processing of the paper work but once that is finished you can begin making appointments after you find a provider that sounds appealing. If you already have a provider in mind it’s important to make sure they accept the coverage. With over 21,000 providers in the state of California there is a good chance that they will accept the coverage.
With prices of health care rising faster than salaries in California annually, it’s very easy for residents to ignore dental care and go without a dental care plan. However, not having a dental care plan can translate into thousands of dental expenses in the long run. By choosing Anthem Blue Cross of California’s Individual Dental PPO plan, a California resident can avoid paying huge dental expenses by paying as low as $43 every month. What can our lone plan subscriber expect from his Individual Dental PPO plan?
1. Free preventive and diagnostic dental services — Because Anthem believes that prevention is better than cure, it covers 100% of all preventive and diagnostic dental services using in-network dental care providers. For an adult individual, these include the following:
- Two Periodic oral exam
- Comprehensive oral exam
- Dental X-rays
- Two Routine cleaning
- Cleaning with fluoride
- Topical fluoride application only
2. Discounts on basic dental services — Three months from the date the individual’s dental PPO plan has started, the plan holder will be eligible for the basic dental services. Now, these aren’t free but using in-network dentists will result to huge savings on the part of the individual. Here’s a list of the basic services that Anthem covers:
- Fillings
- Tooth Extraction
- Surgical removal of erupted tooth
- Extraction of impacted tooth
3. Savings on major dental services — Twelve months or a year after the individual dental PPO plan has been activated, a plan holder is eligible for such major dental services as:
- Scaling/Root planning
- Gingivectomy
- Osseous surgery – four or more
- contiguous teeth
- Root canal
- Dental Inlay and Onlay
- Crowns
- Pontic
- Dentures
Keep in mind that Anthem only covers a portion of the costs of these major dental services. However, these still translates to hundreds of dollars in savings for the individual who is enrolled in the plan.
4. Pay $50 in deductibles – Aside from his monthly premium, an individual should expect to pay as much as $50 in deductibles for basic and major dental services only. As mentioned above, all preventive and diagnostic services are fully covered by Anthem. Any amount in excuse of the $50 will be shouldered by Anthem, provided that the dental care provider used by the plan holder belongs in their network.
5. Receive a total of $1000 in benefits — As will be stipulated in the plan holder’s policy, Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company will shoulder only up to $1,000 in dental care expenses. Assuming that you will pay the smallest monthly premium of $43 a month plus the $50 deductible, Anthem’s will be shouldering $520 of your dental expenses for the year. That’s $520 of savings for you!
In the event that your dental expenses exceed that maximum benefit of $1000 before the year ends, you still have the advantage of availing discounted dental services at rates negotiated by Anthem with the dental care provider.
So if you are a permanent, legal resident of California, call J.C. Lewis Insurance Services now and find out how you can enroll in this affordable dental PPO plan.
