Think Twice Before Buying Private Dental Insurance

Thinking about buying dental insurance because you don't have an employer offering it as a benefit? It might not be worth the cost even if you need extensive dental work.

It’s a concern for a lot of people. One in 4 Americans doesn't have dental insurance, and of those over 65, half have no coverage, according to the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP).

About two-thirds of people who do have insurance get it through their job-. If it's offered to you, it almost always makes sense to take it because employers subsidize the monthly premiums and can negotiate lower rates for dentists in their network. The employee contribution toward the premium is generally pretty low.

Premiums for private plans vary widely, and you can opt for a low-cost plan. In a recent search on eHealth, an online insurance marketplace, individual coverage ranged from $20 to $80 a month for plans with $50 to $100 deductibles and an annual max of $1,000 to $2,000.

But the cheapest plans often don’t have a robust provider network, so it may be difficult finding a dentist who takes that insurance, says Preble.

Read more at Consumer Reports