If you already have dental insurance chances are you most likely will already have a managed care dental insurance or indemnity plan. Before making a quick decision on the type of dental plan you will purchase, it is important that you understand basic features as well as definitions in regards to the dental indemnity insurance plan.

You may remember in another article that we spoke of HMO and PPO dental plans. In a similar contrast of those planes, the indemnity dental insurance plan works much the same way as the HMO. You are not required to choose from a list of dental insurance providers. If you are looking for a specific indemnity dental insurance plan is also important to note that this plan may also be called a traditional dental coverage plan. Based on which plan and provider that you have chosen, you should be able to receive coverage anywhere from 80% to 100% depending on payments and deductibles.

What are the positives of getting any dental insurance indemnity plan? Your plan may cover up to 100% of preventative dental care. The downside however is that there may be a maximum benefit amount for which you are covered. If this is the case, when you reach a specific limit the rest of the cost will be out of pocket expense for you.

In future articles we will be covering more on the advantages and disadvantages of typical dental insurance plans like the indemnity.dental insurance indemnity

There are two specific types of dental plans which you most likely have a few are already covered. These two categories are HMO and PPO. Because these different types of plans work in different ways, it is important for you to understand which type of dental coverage that you currently have or wish to purchase.

With an HMO dental insurance plan there is usually some type of payment or pre-payment upfront from you. As we’ve already discussed you are then allowed to have dental care from a list of providers within a network. What if there are no specific dentists that you wish to use within network? You could get dental services outside of the network, but you will have to pay the entire dentists bill yourself.

So what types of things doesn’t HMO dental plan cover? This would include basic dental services such as cleaning, regular dental exams, as well as even dental x-rays. Many times you will find that there are no out-of-pocket expenses for this plan. But rather, these basic services are provided free of charge to individuals under the HMO insurance plan.

What about dental procedures such as dental crowns, dentures and bridgework? Without dental coverage these would be extremely expensive. But under the HMO dental insurance plan, you will find that many insurance companies will many times up to 70 or 80% for these types of procedures. This means that you would have some expenses.

Are there any downsides to having an HMO dental plan? Several things that may bother you, is the fact that you can only receive services from dentists within the specified network. Because dentists who are a part of the HMO network get paid a set rate for their services, you may find in some cases that the dental service that you receive may not always be as high quality as that from a PPO dental insurance plan.

Are you interested in finding out more information on PPO dental insurance plans? Check out several of our other articles on this subject.