Discount dental plans are not insurance plans. Instead, they are discount programs designed for individuals, families and groups looking to save money on their dental care needs. Consumers pay a low annual membership fee and are granted access to a network of participating providers offering discounts of 10% to 60% on most dental procedures.17 Select plans even offer discounts on additional benefits, including prescription, vision, hearing and chiropractic care.17 Unlike many dental HMO insurance plans, PPO insurance plans or dental indemnity insurance, discount dental plans do not have any deductibles, co-payments, annual limits, health restrictions or tedious paperwork to submit.17 Discount dental plans are ideal for those that do not receive employee-sponsored benefits, and are often offered to retirees, part-timers, seasonal workers and uninsured dependants. Current market research shows that consumers are moving toward discount dental plans due to the value, flexibility and service they provide.
Participating discount dental plan providers have agreed to accept a discounted fee from plan members as payment-in-full for services performed.17 Upon joining, plan members are given a fee schedule detailing their savings on specific dental procedures.17 Members simply present their membership card at the time of service to ensure they are charged the discounted fees provided by their discount dental plan.17 Some of the top providers of discount dental plans include Aetna, Cigna, UNI-CARE and Patriot Plan.
“Aetna was the first national carrier to launch a dental discount plan in October, 2003. The insurer sells its product, called Vital Savings, to individuals and as an employer-sponsored benefit…. Kerri Mansberg, head of product development for Aetna Dental, reports ‘significant growth’ for the company’s Vital Savings dental discount card.”20 Vital Savings by Aetna is an excellent example of a discount dental plan that provides supplementary benefits, including savings on other health-related products such as vision care, alternative health care, fitness equipment, and oral health care products.17 These additional benefits are one of the many reasons why discount dental plans continue to grow in popularity.
Discount dental plans are gaining ground on the other dental benefit options. “Discount dental plans represent the fastest growing segment of the dental benefits industry.”14 The latest market survey by NADP, The State of the Dental Benefits Market, 2005, found that discount dental plans had 8% of the market share for dental benefits in 2005.16 “We can confirm a very strong upward trend in discount dental,” says Evelyn Ireland, executive director of NADP.20 As found in Consumer Reports, “the growth and popularity of discount dental plans is related to the scarcity of individual products offered by insurance plans and growing consumer demand to control dental health care costs.”13
Discount dental plans can be paid annually and the most affordable plans average out to less than $6 a month per individual and less than $9 a month per family.17 The State of the Dental Benefits Market, 2005 reports that the average monthly premium for dental HMO insurance is nearly $16, compared to nearly $24 for dental PPO insurance and nearly $31 for dental indemnity insurance.16
Discount dental plans offer employers and individual consumers a great deal of value by giving them access to affordable, quality dental care without sacrificing service or flexibility. DentalPlans.com, one of the largest online providers of discount dental plans, offers consumers the freedom to choose from more than 30 national and regional discount dental plans with a combined network of 100,000+ participating providers.17 Unlike most dental insurance plans, select discount dental plans even offer discounts on dental specialties, including orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry, and other supplementary benefits, including vision, hearing, prescription and chiropractic care.17 Discount dental plans are ideal for individuals that do not receive employee-sponsored dental coverage.
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Save on dental care for you and your family with a Discount Dental Plan, an alternative to Dental Insurance.
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