Dental insurance options for the new year happens around this time and below are some factors that can help decide how much to allocate for dental insurance in the new year. Most employers use an a la carte method where a fixed benefit amount can be allocated in between prescription, vision and dental insurance based on employee and family needs. That means – in a certain year – you can allocate more to vision and in the next year you can allocate more for dental based on needs. Follow steps below and consider all the factors when making the decision.
- Find out the coverage your family is eligible for. Usually in a two parent household – sometimes both parents have dental, vision and drug coverage and sometimes one parents coverage is very good compared to the other. In those cases you can save money by lowering coverage on the non-ideal parents account.
- Are there any life events expected in the coming year? Eg if you have a baby due or moving to a different country or province – that can increase or decrease your health needs.
- Find out what kind of dental work is urgently needed and when from your dentist. If Pearl Care Dental Clinic is your preferred dental clinic – simply give us a call at (604) 372-2861 to find this. This dental plan will help see if certain procedures are needed and then check with your insurance provider to make sure that these are covered and it what tier.
- Discuss with your family on any cosmetic dentistry they wish to have done in the new year. For eg if your kids want to straighten their teeth to improve their smile – you might want to check with your provider to include treatments like myobrace or invisalign. Most of these have lifetime limits per person. Read the benefit booklets carefully to make sure that they are included.
- Find out what other health needs your family needs. Eg if you or your spouse needs new glasses – you might want to add more vision coverage that can minimize dental or prescription coverage.
If you dont have dental insurance from your employer – there are options to buy this from insurance providers such as Manulife and Sunlife – we will write a separate blog post comparing some of the plans.
If you are not planning to buy insurance – make sure to set aside a budget for any urgent dental care needed. Once again – feel free to call us at (604) 372-2861 or fill the contact form to find out more about your dental treatment plan.