Understanding your health insurance is an important step in maintaining your excellent health and keeping your finances in check. If you’re struggling to know how to obtain a vision or dental insurance plan and what is or isn’t included in each, here’s what you need to know.
What Is Vision Insurance?
Vision insurance is separate from your overall health insurance. You typically have to purchase it separately and it directly relates to your eyesight. With vision insurance, you receive benefits for your eye care. Your regular health insurance provider will normally offer vision insurance at an additional cost and will let you know which providers are covered under your insurance. If you have an eye doctor you love, you can make sure the services provided by him or her are covered under the plan you’ve chosen. As you get older, the need for frequent eye exams increases, so depending on your age and the health of your eyes, you may or may not need vision insurance.
What’s Covered And What Does It Cost?
Vision insurance will typically cover an annual eye exam (though you will most likely still have to pay your usual co-pay). Your insurance will cover a percentage of the expense related to eyeglasses (frames and lenses) or contact lenses. If you’re experiencing medical issues with your eyes, your optometrist will refer you back to your primary care doctor and that care will be covered by your regular health insurance. Annually, you will most likely use your vision insurance for your annual eye exam and your glasses or contacts. Vision insurance is often inexpensive with a lower monthly payment that health insurance. Your insurance provider might even offer vision with dental insurance, so check with your organization before signing up for each individually.
What Is Dental Insurance?
Dental insurance works very similarly to vision insurance (and both can often be bundled together when you sign up for health insurance). You purchase it separately from your health insurance and you must choose a dentist in your insurance’s network if you want to avoid paying a high cost to visit him or her. Everyone needs to visit the dentist at least twice a year for cleanings. If you experience more frequent issues with your dental health, you will need to visit more often. Having dental insurance will help defray the costs of these visits and encourage you to maintain your oral health.
What’s Covered And What Does It Cost?
Your dental insurance will almost always cover one cleaning every six months. In addition, your insurance will pay for a portion of any dental work done. Typically, your policy will pay for seventy to eighty percent of any procedure (such as a crown, filling, or inlay) and you’ll be responsible for the rest of the cost. Without dental insurance, these procedures can be extremely expensive so having insurance to cover this high percentage will be a huge help to your finances. Your dental health also has a large impact on your overall health. Neglecting your oral care could result in future health complications. You might even find that you need the Bronx emergency dentists after accidentally knocking out a tooth or damaging your gums. Visiting an emergency dentist quickly after an injury is vital to your oral health, and having the right insurance will help you lower the costs of the visit.
Having dental and vision insurance will help you stay healthy, physically and financially. The monthly costs and co-pays of your insurances will still be significantly lower than if you did not have insurance. Visiting your eye doctor and dentist regularly will help you feel better and encourage healthy habits.
