Dental Health Plans
Group medical insurance with a dental health component allows employers to offers an excellent benefit to their workers. And now is a good moment to consider adding a dental offering: the new Patient Protection Health Care Reform Act is coming into effect.
Companies, no matter their size, now receive an income tax credit for offering group medical insurance to their staff members. It’s an actual tax credit, not just a business write-off, and a dental health plan is a valuable benefit for any employee.
Workers may not be denied coverage because of pre-existing health or medical conditions under the Health Care Reform Act. So, even if an employee already has dental issues and requires an occlusal equilibration, he or she cannot be denied access to enrollment in the company dental plan.
Most insurance companies offer three levels of dental coverage — coverage for major treatments, restorative treatments and preventive maintenance. Always ask what coverage options are open to your employees under your dental plan, as dentists may classify procedures like cavity repairs in varying manners. As an employer, it is also helpful to understand the out-of-pocket expenses for premium payments and deductibles that may apply. You might also want to research your dental plan coverage offerings for cosmetic procedures.
To qualify for an HMO or PPO group health insurance plan, the majority of your company’s employees must live in the same state in which the company is headquartered. At least 75 percent of eligible staff, who must each work more than 20 hours per week, must accept the plan of choice at the workplace location or have another major medical health plan in place for their needs. The company must also contribute at least 50 percent of the payment for the group health plan premium. Once staff members accept the group plan on offer, part of that plan may cover dental health care with no waiting periods.
Each dental health plan may offer different components, so make sure to review the details of your workplace dental plan. Most of these plans are network-based; if the dentists on the plan belong to a network and an insured person’s preferred dentist does not, he or she may have to pay for that specialist’s work out-of-pocket.
