Which is better: a dental discount plan or dental insurance plan?

 

A member asks:

I watched a recent CBS News segment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPTvdyMH2yw&) on the importance of dental insurance and then I read the following review of Careington dental discount plans that convinced me that a discount plan is really a better deal than insurance. What do you think? the review said:

"Receiving and maintaining dental care is just as important as healthcare. Unfortunately when times are tough and money has to be re-budgeted, dental care is one of the first expenditures people let go. This choice, however, is an unnecessary one.  There is dental coverage available to not only individuals, but entire families at amazingly low cost. Careington dental is who makes it happen. Careington has enabled over 7 million satisfied members receive dental care at discounted prices from quality providers, making it clearly one of the best dental plan providers available.

With over 54,000 dental providers in the country to choose from, having access to quality but low cost dental coverage is possible. In 1979, two dentists realized that many people were forgoing dental care due to financial reasons. Together they formed Careington  and convinced a group of dentists to agree to charging  lower fees for their services. As a fully established dental care provider, the member network helps individuals get the dental care they deserve and allows companies the ability to provide dental care to everyone.

In terms of expertise, Careington knows what it is to understand and care for the needs of patients. Which is why as a patient, you can be rest assured that the extensive selection of dental providers have only the finest credentials, and offer dental plans that are not only comprehensive, but are current with the latest procedures. When you couple that with the fee reductions of two to three times larger than other dental plan companies; Careington seems to be the natural choice in dental plan providers.

Even more impressive is that when you become a member of Careington, when you choose the Careington Dental – 500 series you will have access to discounted vision care as well, for no additional cost to you. The Careington Dental – 500 series was designed with the individual in mind, not the dental provider. It works with you and any person you support in your home.  That means if you are supporting your mother-in-law, she too can be the recipient of dental care. Saving money is always important, skipping out on your dental care can be more than detrimental to your oral health, it can affect your overall health and should not be ignored or let go".

Do you agree with this?


OnlineAdviser responds:

Dental discount plans provide better consumer value.

When you do not have access to an employer-provided dental plan, a dental discount plan usually provides better consumer value. For this discussion, we define "value" (or "better deal" as you asked) as the reduction in your dental costs compared to the amount you spend. Of course in terms of the financial security gained by actually transferring the risk the insurance would be better but that is different from consumer value in terms of this discussion.

Many of the new dental plans introduced in the past year combine some insurance with a discount plan, so you get the benefits of both. While this is potentially the best deal, we are concerned that consumers do not understand the difference between the two and the sellers do not go far enough to educate buyers and make these distinctions.

Careington is by far the best provider of dental and medical discount plans, so I agree with the comments in the article.  More information about a range of Careington plans can be found at www.ehealthdiscountplan.com.  

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