Today, individuals, families and businesses have a wide range of choices to lower the costs of dental care. United Concordia is one of the largest dental insurance companies in the United States. It provides a wide range of dental insurance options, including, HMO dental insurance plans, PPO dental insurance plans, discount dental plans and many more. All of these types of dental insurance options have their own advantages and disadvantages. Before buying any of these dental plans, it is imperative you understand their key features. Here are some of the important details you should know before buying an HMO or PPO dental insurance plans.
What are HMO and PPO dental insurance plans?
A dental hmo, also known as Dental Health Maintenance Organization is a type of dental insurance plan that allows you to receive dental care services from a network of dentists. In dental HMOs, if you use a dentist outside the HMO network, you will have to pay the entire dental bill yourself. A Preferred Provider Organization or dental ppo plan requires you to choose your dentist from a network of preferred dental providers. Under PPO dental plans, if you visit a dentist that is not in the preferred network you will pay a higher amount. Additionally, you will first have to pay the doctor directly and then file a claim with the PPO to be reimbursed.
How do you pay for services in HMO and PPO networks?
In an HMO, the only charges you incur for in-network services are copayments for dental visits and other services such as prescriptions and procedures. In a dental ppo plan, you are only responsible for the copayment. Some PPO plans also have annual deductibles for any dental services, in-network or out of network.
What are the advantages of HMO and PPO plans?
Under HMOs, patients cannot be turned aware for care if they are using a dentist in the network. In addition, HMO plans often have low monthly payments for copayments, making them more affordable. Most insurance companies offer a large variety of HMO plans to choose from. In PPO plans, patients are allowed to see any dentist who will accept them, but they get extra savings by using a doctor in the provider’s network. Deductible are low, mostly around $50, and some plans have no deductibles at all.
These are just some of the important details you should know about PPO and HMO plans. Before choosing your preferred dental plan, take your time to investigate its features to determine whether it matches your needs. Remember to choose the right dental insurance company, in order to get the best insurance services.
United Concordia 