Was chatting with a friend today who hadn't been to a dentist in a while. His teeth are apparently a lot stronger than mine are, as he's never had a cavity, but he's still a little leery about going there because of what he might need to have done.
Fortunately, though, we both have some decent options for supplemental dental insurance through our employer. The downside is that we can only change enrollment once a year; this is often called an “open season.”
The good news for him is that he has a while before the next open season, so he can prepare. I recently found a dentist in my preferred provider network (after having gotten a rude awakening at my previous dentist) so in the event that does have to have a bunch of work done on his teeth, he can do it on the cheap.
Here's what I recommended that he get done:
- Go to the dentist for a checkup in advance of open season. Checkups are relatively inexpensive and are partially covered under our health insurance. This will give him an idea what he's up against with regard to cost. He doesn't actually need to get the work done now — as long as his teeth continue to behave, of course.
- Based on the potential cost, enroll in the appropriate supplemental dental insurance or not. This is an advantage of a group insurance plan: everyone in the group is treated in the same pool. There's no disclosure necessary of dental history or anything like that. You sign up and pay, and you're covered. The cost-benefit analysis can be done before the cost. There's also enough time to find a dentist in the area who will take the coverage. (I found mine totally by chance, but it can be more deliberate than that!)
I've easily paid for my premiums just in the first four months of this year. This was after paying through the nose for several years before that, though. My friend doesn't have to pay through the nose if he doesn't want to.
Maybe you won't either!
(Thanks to Studenomics for including this in the Carnival of Personal Finance!)
Actually, it’s called “open enrollment”. This is the time that your employer offers you the opportunity to change insurance coverage and carriers. Hope this helps! 🙂