Question:
What's the best way to go about finding a dental insurance plan? Are the
plans that are options to health insurance worthwhile? How much coverage
can I expect to get for $35 per month?
Answer:
The only worthwhile insurance are the plans that insure large groups
through work. If your private insurance premium is $35 times 12 months
or $420, you can expect the insurance company will not want to make
payouts on your behalf of of $1,000 one year, $1,000 the following
year, and $1,000 the third year and then the fourth year you quit.
That said, some plans help hold downs costs ....... as dentists are
"locked in" at certain fees. You can nogotiate these yourself, but
first you need an iron-clad treatment plan.
Why is it that only large groups can get good insurance? It's my
understanding that insurance companies justified lower rates for groups
because of lower administration costs and because they could claim that the
cost of one member of the group would be offset by the other members of the
group.
But, now with computerization and automation aren't the administration costs
brought down and won't the total number of private insurance holders plus
group insurance holders offset one another? Is the claimed higher insurance
company costs of private insurance REAL or IMAGINARY? Is it just a
tradition to charge individual plans a higher premium?
Its based on actuarial rates ...... A group of 1,000 people means 250
have dentures and will not go to the dentist, 250 are scaredy cats and
will NEVER go to the dentist ....... 150 are way too busy to go for
any extensive treatment ......... 200 more will never ante up the
patient co-pay, meaning the dentist must defraud the insurance company
or skip the work, etc.
