Dental Insurance: Do All Employers Offer it in the U.S.?

August 26, 2022

With health costs soaring in the United States, employer-sponsored health insurance has become as important as the size of the payslip for most Americans while applying for a new job. While some employers are legally required to sponsor their employees’ health insurance, this requirement does not include dental coverage.

Nonetheless, about 50% of companies offer dental coverage to their employees. Whether or not you are eligible for employer-sponsored dental insurance may depend on your working hours or your status as a full- or part-time employee.

Some companies offer only legally-required benefits to part-time employees, such as social security or short-term disability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance, while others may offer a reduced or fringe benefits package which includes dental coverage.

As estimated by Evelyn Ireland, the executive director of the National Association of Dental Plan, about 156 million people in the U.S. have dental insurance; 90 million are covered by traditional indemnity plans; 60 million hold managed-care plans; and the remaining 6 million run on a referral system, going to dental clinics that offer special rates.

What companies offer dental coverage?

What was once a rare fringe benefit has now become a standard fare in many employees’ healthcare or fringe benefits packages. People working at large companies are more likely to be covered by employer-sponsored dental plans. For example, Google, Amazon, and casinos like casino 777 offer extensive health packages that normally include dental and vision plans.

Nevertheless, many employers do not see dental coverage as an important part of medical coverage. Many human-resource experts say that the expenses of dental plans are more predictable than medical plans.

The average dental claim is about $150, according to Evelyn Ireland. But surprisingly, medical plans are still considered more important than dental plans. When a company gets hit by a financial crunch, employee dental plans are decreased before any changes are made to their medical plans.

How to choose dental plans?

It’s important to educate yourself about dental insurance so you can choose the right plan for yourself. First, you need to find out what type of dental plan your company is offering.

Fee-for-service plans

Direct-reimbursement plans are included in fee-for-service plans that are funded by individual companies. These plans allow employees to receive services from the dentist of their choice and recompense than according to money spent. An indemnity plan is another fee-for-service that provides specific amounts for specific services, irrespective of the accrual charges.

Managed-care plans

Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO) have a network of providers from which you can choose a dentist. If you choose a provider outside of their network, you’ll still get reimbursed for a part of the cost. Under Dental Health Maintenance Organizations (DHMO), employees receive services from contracted dentists.

Referral plans

While this does not qualify as dental insurance, referral plans help employees receive services from dentists at discounted rates. Some employers refer their employees to dentists who have agreed to offer dental care at discounted rates.

What to look for in dental plans?

Most dental plans cover preventive and restorative services, such as filings. However, about 30% of those with dental plans do not have orthodontia covered, as reported by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Preventive services are especially important for those who have young children or teenagers. As gum problems become more common with age, your dental plan should include visits to a periodontist (gum specialist) if you are middle-aged.

If you have a network plan, you should call customer service and find out how they select dentists. It’s also a good idea to ask them if they have a formal complaint process so you can report the provider if something goes wrong.

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