There may be multiple financing options available for you when it comes to dental needs, but the employer dental insurance sticks as the most advantageous option. This financing option is now strongly considered not just by the employee but promoted as well by companies. As a practice, some companies often include this plan into their compensation and benefits packages. As a way to lure and provide employees with the right benefits and assistance, there are pro-active companies that take into account the overall health of the employees.
This should not come as a surprise, the healthier the workforce the better the impact on the company’s productivity. And this is the strongest rationale to the inclusion of a dental plan into the benefits and compensation packages of the company. But the benefits do not just end on the employer side; more importantly, it is the employees that can actually get the bulk of the benefits. With this kind of plan in place, employees are better motivated to stay and work well and healthy in the company.
Just how important is the overall health of employees in the context of productivity? Well there’s this study that suggests that American employees are projected to lose 160 million hours each year due to dental problems. And with a dental plan in place, employees can cut back on these losses and company gets back the hours. In short, it’s a win-win solution if there’s an employer dental insurance in place. At least with this plan in place, employees wanting to seek dental treatment will not have to worry about the financing aspect; the plan takes care of that for them.
Options for Employers: Cheaper Dental Insurance Plans for Workers
And the good news is that roughly 70 percent of employers nationwide provide these plans. For a complete understanding of the plan, here are three existing plans for your perusal.
- Humana Insurance through Employer
- United Concordia for Employers
- Delta Dental for Employers
Each plan is a separate program, and we explain it in details for you.
Humana Insurance through Employer
Humana offers different options for employers, and this should allow the employers to seek the one that will best address the needs of its employees. There are five different plans with different features and these are the Traditional Preferred, Dental PPO, Preventive Plus, Advantage Plus and DHMO-Prepaid.
Under the Traditional Preferred Plan, employees get to choose their dentist. But if they choose from among the dentists under the Humana Dental PPO network, then savings can be generated up to 30 percent off. When it comes to coverage, employees can expect the basic, preventive and major dental procedures and operations like orthodontia. Depending on the dental program of the company, it can also push for other procedures that can be covered including root canals and composite fillings and these can be grouped under the basic service, and dental implants on the other hand can be classified as major service.
For the Dental PPO, employees are given the choice between the in-network dentists and the out of network dentists. But employees can always save with costs if they choose a dentist coming from the company-certified network.
For the Preventive Plus plan; only the most common procedures are covered. in a way, these are the procedures are used to promote better dental health care of the employees and at the same time procedures that can help a host of dental problems. The employees are allowed to choose their dentist here.
Advantage Plus plan highlights prevention, and the coverage here is basic and cheap option for employers. The employees must visit a network dentist in order to avail of the coverage.
Finally, there’s the DHMO Prepaid plan. Considered as a cost-effective plan, this helps motivates the employees to prioritize their dental health.
United Concordia for Employers
Once companies choose this dental insurance providers, the member employees can have access to the DHMO and the PPO plans called the Concordia Flex, Concordia Preferred, Concordia Plus and Concordia Choice. In order to tap the Concordia Flex, the employer should include at least ten employees and there should be 20 percent participation. This is a flexible option for companies and serviced by the national Advantage Plus network of dentists.
For the Concordia Preferred, its best that companies should have a minimum of 10 employees and this is PPO plan. The coverage includes preventive and diagnostic, including basic, major and other orthodontic services that can be provided by in-network and out of network dentists. As with other plans, savings are realized if the in-network dentists are chosen. If companies are looking for a plan that will require at least 2 employees then the dental HMO plan of Concordia Plus plan can be selected. Last on the list is the Concordia Choice considered as a passive PPO plan that offers eye care on top of the expected dental coverage. Companies should enroll at least 10 employees or more than 20 percent of the total employee population.
Delta Dental for Employers
Delta is one of the leading providers of dental insurance plans, and currently this is serving a number of companies both large and small. There are options that employers can choose from and the list includes the Delta Dental Premier, Delta Dental PPO, Delta Care USA and the Delta Dental Patient Care. Under the Delta Dental Premier, the dental procedures are available at pre-negotiated fees which mean that the cost of procedures is known before hand and do not change. Thanks to the arrangement, employees will know at the onset how much they will save on a specified procedure. Delta Dental PPO works similarly, but the employees get to choose the dentist that they like. Larger discounts are thus generated if the dentist belongs to the network.
Another option is the DeltaCare USA and corresponds to the DHMO. The employee will have to select a dentist from the network. It is the job of the primary care provider to manage the dental health of the member, and its part of the job to give referrals if necessary or in case the member employee needs a specialist. The cost is lower here, thus better for a company looking for a dental insurance. The last option is the Delta Dental Patient Direct plan that works like a discount plan. There are instant discounts the moment the member checks and consults with the network dentist.
Available Plans for Public and Federal Employees
What were covered earlier were the plans for private employees. Keep in mind that federal employees or those employees that work for the government are also treated to insurance options. A player in this industry is the Delta Dental and for its part this offers the Delta Dental employee group plan designed for the retired members of the Uniformed Service. Also known as the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program, this offers 100 percent coverage for preventive and diagnostic services. As part of the plan, members also get 60-80 percent for basic restorative, oral surgery, periodontics, endodontic and other minor pain-related emergencies.
There are other services that can be expected including dental implants, orthodontics, bridges and crowns and even dentures. All these services are offered at 50 percent. The plan also provides that the retirees and former members of the Uniformed Service can take up the plan at negotiated rates. The list goes on when it comes to employer dental insurance plans, and what are available to private employees are available as well to government workers.