Retired Military Dental Plan Options
If you are retired from the military, you have some choices available to you in the forms and types of dental coverage for you and your family. Retired military dental plan options would include Tricare Dental, private dental insurance, and discount dental plans.
Tricare Dental Program
The Tricare Retiree Dental program is available to retired members of the U.S. Military and their immediate families. The plan is available in the United States and all overseas areas. The plan is voluntary and is underwritten by Delta Dental.
For the first 12 months of coverage participants receive full coverage for exams, cleaning, x-rays, fillings, root canal treatment, gum treatments, extractions and dental accidents.
After the first year then the full menu of benefits is available, including bridges, crowns, dental implants, dentures and partials, and orthodontics for children and adults.
There is a $1,000 benefit limit per year per covered individual for basic coverage and $1,300 for the enhanced coverage. Medal of Honor winners and family survivors of deceased service members are waived from the 12 month waiting period for enhanced coverage.
Dental Insurance Is No Match For AmeriPlan
Even with a $1,300 per year coverage amount, most Tricare Dental plan holders will be left with a huge dental bill if they try to offset the cost for braces ( $6,000) or even a simple root canal ($1,500). Discount Dental plans from AmeriPlan tyoically offer up to 64% discount on braces for a total savings of up to $3,800 vs. $1,300 for dental insurance.
When using the Tricare Dental program, you should seek to use a Delta Dental Dentist to get the full financial benefit from the program. Costs run from $29 per month for a single person to $107 for a family. There is also a deposit of two months payments up front.
Private dental insurance is available through a number of different insurance companies such as Aetna, Humana, Blue Cross and United Health Care. Typically, the basics such as exams, cleanings, and x-rays are covered for the first 12 months, and then more advanced services are included after that.
Dental Insurance Has Limited Coverage
What you typically find with private insurance is an annual limit on benefits per year, per individual such as $1,000 to $2,000. There also may be deductibles and co-payments. It is fairly easy to find and compare companies and their plans online. Costs run from $30 to $90 per month per family.
Once again, you should use a dentist that is affiliated with that particular insurance company. Dentists will gladly tell you which companies they are affiliated with. Another strategy if you have a dentist that you really like and would hate to leave, find out what companies they work with, and enroll with that insurance company if the benefits match what you want in the way of coverage.
Discount Dental Plans Better Than Tricare Dental Insurance
Discount dental plans have no waiting periods as they will cover individuals and their families immediately. There are also no annual limits on coverage. Companies such as Ameriplan is an excellent example of well known discount plans. Again, there is a network of dentists that you should research before signing up for any dental plan, and discount plans are no exception.
Discount plans are easy to use in that there are no deductibles or co-payments, and you simply get a discounted savings on each dental procedure. For example, for a cleaning that costs $50 retail you might pay $10. For a filling that is $125 you might pay $30.
The cost for Ameriplan currently runs $25 per month for a plan that covers your entire household. Discount plans also throw in additional benefits such as discounts on prescriptions and vision care.
Retired military dental plans are available online and there is a wealth of information available online as well, from which you can glean a great deal of information to make the right decision for you and your family.
Why pay more and get less with TriCare Military Dental? Don’t you owe it to yourself to learn more about saving money on oral health and saving money on dental insurance that may be a pretty bad deal? Click HERE for our FAQ or just give us a call at 1-855-878-7774 and we’ll answer all your questions.
AmeriPlan discount health and dental plans are designed to save you money while providing the health and dental care you and your family needs. Get started now and you’ll be amazed at the level of medical and dental services and the low cost.
*The merchants and the savings associated with their respective products and/or services offered are subject to change without notice.
Still not sure? Check out some testimonials from customers of AmeriPlan HERE
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