S1E53 [ENCORE] - Sink your teeth into some juicy dental benefits!

This week we are digging into the archives to bring back a very important topic we seem to be getting more and more calls about!

How are you going to keep those pearly whites, pearly white once you're on Medicare? This week host Adam Frye chomps into all of your options for dental coverage after age 65 (and before)! What's the most cost-effective way and comprehensive way to make sure you're teeth get the care they need? There are so many different options! We've helped thousands of people over the years keep their teeth nice and healthy... Listen to this episode to find out how! Don't forget to like the video, follow our page, and share with your friends!

Important information:
Workshop Schedule and Registration: www.123EasyMedicare.com
Dental Quotes: www.123easydental.com
Call the office: 602-281-3898
Email Adam: Adam@AmericanRetire.com

Transcript

Hello Happy People! 

Welcome back to another episode of 65 and Counting! I'm your host, Adam Frye. I'm a Certified Medicare Planner, and I'm here to ask the important questions you want answered by industry professionals. This show is for anyone and everyone coming up on that important milestone of 65 years old. That includes retirement, medicare eligibility, or that you're just plain interested in the world of planning for retirement. Whatever your interest is, you'll hear from the people who know it best on this show.

TRANSITION HERE

Welcome back, everyone! Great episode for you today! We're doing a very special episode today! The team and I have been taking many phone calls and receiving many emails recently regarding dental insurance and Medicare…. So you asked for it, and here it is for you today! I'm going to break down your options for dental insurance once you're on Medicare!

But first! Did you miss our workshops!? Don't worry! There's a whole bunch more coming soon! We have a few more workshops this month online-only, and hopefully, in October, workshops are around the corner for in-person and online! I'll include a link to the schedule and our office phone number in the description so you can get yourself registered!

Don't forget to check your email and fill out the questionnaire for this year's AEP! Let us do the research for you and make sure that you're still on the most appropriate plan for 2021! Give us a call now if you haven't received it, and we'll get you a new one! It is almost time for AEP, so act fast!

Ok… So let's talk Dental… 

I touched on this topic a little bit in some of our educational spotlight episodes, but I want to get into this more because it's important. If you remember my Educational Spotlight on Original Medicare, we learned that Medicare Parts A and B do NOT cover routine Dental! Medicare will sometimes cover emergencies resulting from trauma to the face, jaw, or teeth depending on the extent of the injury, but if you wanna have your teeth cleaned, A and B will not pick up the bill on their own. Neither will a Medicare Supplement. 

How are you going to get those chompers taken care of?! There are a few different solutions you can look at to keep those pearly whites pearly white!

The first solution we're going to look at is stand-alone insurance carriers. This option is perhaps the simplest because you just get a plan through a third party outside of yourself and Medicare. It's very, very important that you do your research with this option. We've seen that most people will pay more in total premiums than just paying cash at the dentist! Thankfully, American Retirement Advisors has a tool you can use on your own plan research to see what a dental plan would actually cost you! I'll include a link in the description of the episode, but for all of you fast writers out there, listen carefully. The website I am referencing to help you is www.123easydental.com. 

GRAPHIC WITH WEBSITE HERE

This website provides the opportunity to shop the dental exchange or simply shop a company name well known across the country, such as "Delta Dental." The dental company listings website will show you premiums, deductibles, and coverage limits, all with just a few clicks! 

I just want to put it out there that American Retirement Advisors does not currently recommend any dental coverage from the dental exchange or even Delta Dental! The math just does not make sense!

Let's take a look at some more options.

Dental Discount Plans! Now, this is something that American Retirement Advisors recommends to thousands of clients every year! Just ask your dentist about a cash plan! This option is what my family and I do personally. Usually, dentists will have some kind of program established for cash-paying patients covering annual x rays and routine visits for a discounted price. And here's the kicker, it's usually much cheaper than having dental insurance! In most cases, there are even dentists that will offer significant discounts on some of your more extensive dental work, just be sure to ask as every dental practice is different. These discount plans are "in house" to the dentist office, so give your dentist a call and check on what they offer!

Another option you have is Dental Pricing Membership Clubs! This option is similar, in concept, to other clubs you might join. Pricing and Membership clubs were created to provide discounted fees on care to members of a club. Instead of paying a monthly premium for insurance, you pay a membership fee to join the club, and it entitles you to discounted services from participating dentists! You pay the dentist directly, and you don't make any sort of claim. You only pay for the services you receive, rather than pesky monthly premiums for some benefits you may never use. The coverage will be limited to a network of dentists, but some clubs are large enough to have a national network. We don't typically refer people to this option, but it exists if it interests you. Just use your favorite internet search engine and type in "Dental Pricing Membership Clubs."

Here's another option… if you have an HSA or Healthcare Savings Account, you can apply that to your dental expenses. You can't contribute new funds to your HSA after turning on your Medicare Part A, but you CAN still use the money that's already in there. It's still yours to use!

Are you just looking for care on an as-needed basis? A good option for that would be using a Walk-in dental clinic or dental school. You can avoid monthly premium payments and use a low-cost fee for service dental clinic. Run a search online for free dental care, and it will bring up a host of free and sliding scale clinics in your area! Also, there are coupons through various online sites for free dental cleanings and exams. Dental schools are another great option for routine services performed by dental students for free or lower cost, and all the services performed are supervised by licensed dentists!

Now you may be thinking, Adam! My Medicare Advantage Plan has some dental benefits!! Over the last couple of years, Medicare advantage plans have been adding some sort of coverage for routine dental! But not all of them. Whether or not you have one of these plans, I'm sure you've seen all the commercials on TV talking about free dental. 

How do you know if your plan has dental? Since Medicare does not require these benefits, NOT ALL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS OFFER IT. The quickest way to tell would be to dust off that "Summary of Benefits" book you got when you signed up. If you're an American Retirement Advisors client, or even if you aren't yet, call us at the phone number in the episode's description, and we'll help you find out!

It's important to remember, since dental coverage is not a standardized benefit, what's included in each plan and what isn't varies widely across the thousands of different Medicare Advantage Plans offered in the country. Some only offer dental benefits through a very select few providers and have many restrictions like waiting periods and maximum coverage amounts. Other plans offer more simplistic coverage in the form of a discount program. With a discount program model, you'd receive a book of dental codes that you refer to under a participating provider network to see what portion of the procedures cost you would be responsible for paying. Some make it even easier! Go to any dentist and give your receipt to the insurance company, and they'll reimburse you up to a certain amount depending on the plan. 

It's important to be sure that you understand how your built-in dental benefit works before you try and use it! These built-in programs are very new, and the dental services are still relatively limited regarding coverage, but they are getting better every year!

I hope this answers all your questions about dental coverage with Medicare! And remember, if you need any help with it at all, just give us a call! Thanks for tuning in this week! 

Don't forget to like the video, subscribe to our page, and share us with all your friends! And most importantly, have a great week!