Dental Vision Hearing Insurance for Seniors – When individuals make the transition into Medicare, they often don’t realize that most dental, vision, and hearing services are not covered by the federal Medicare program. Each of these is an important aspect of our overall health, so it’s important to find an insurance plan that will help you with these costs. Fortunately, DVH plans are an all-in-one solution to this problem.
How do DVH plans work?
There are several insurance companies that offer DVH plans, and each has their own rules and benefits. Today, we’ll talk about how these plans work in general, but you’ll need to look at the specifics of each plan to find out what it offers.
As we said, DVH plans wrap all three types of benefits into one single plan. For the most part, the dental portion is usually the most robust, but there are some plans that focus more on vision. DVH plans are guaranteed issue and guaranteed renewable, so anyone can enroll, even people under the age of 65. As long as you continue to pay the monthly premium, your plan stays active.
Most DVH plans allow for benefits in and out of the network. Just like other kinds of insurance plans, using an in-network provider will give you the best rates and lowest out-of-pocket cost, but you’ll still have coverage outside of the network. If you see a non-contracted provider, you may have to submit claims yourself, but some providers do this as a courtesy regardless.
Your plan will have an annual maximum, a deductible, and a coverage table, all based on each of the three categories. Waiting periods often apply, but usually only for some types of treatment. Let’s talk about what benefits could look like in each individual category.
Dental Benefits
Plans range in annual maximums from $1,000 up to $5,000 in some cases. The annual maximum is the full amount the plan offers to pay for treatment. Once they have paid the maximum, all other expenses will be your responsibility.
Deductibles, the amount you’ll have to pay before coverage begins, range from $0 to $100. Some plans waive the deductible for preventive services like cleanings, exams, and x-rays. Waiting periods are also often waived for preventive and basic services (fillings, scaling and root planing) but usually apply to major treatments like crowns, bridges, dentures, root canals, extractions, and implants. (Not all plans include implant coverage.)
Another feature many plans have in common is that they increase their benefits incrementally each year. For example, you might have 40% coverage on fillings for the first year, 50% during the second year, 60% in the third year, and so on. Plans usually max their coverage after three or four years. Generally, preventive care is covered at 100% from day one, although this is not always the case.
Vision Benefits
Vision coverage is a little more straightforward. It usually has a limit, just like the dental maximum. However, that limit might apply to either one or two years. For example, a plan may only pay $200 every two years for any vision services. There is often a 6-month waiting period for coverage.
Vision benefits include eye exams, refraction, eyeglasses, and contact lenses.
Hearing Benefits
Hearing coverage in DVH plans closely mimics the vision portion. Annual or bi-annual maximums are typically somewhere around $500 and often have a one-year waiting period. Some plans just set a yearly maximum, while others have a “per ear” limit. For example, you might have $200 per ear per year.
Hearing benefits include hearing exams, hearing aids, and hearing aid repairs.
Where can I buy a Dental, Vision, and Hearing insurance plan?
There are a few companies that offer helpful DVH plans. If you work with an independent insurance agent, they can help you compare each plan and shop for the best rates. A few of the well-known DVH insurance carriers include:
- Aetna
- Manhattan Life
- National General
- Cigna
- Medico
If you’d like to learn more about the dental, vision, and hearing insurance plans we offer, call and speak to a licensed insurance agent. Let us know which aspects of coverage are most important to you, and we’ll help you select a plan that covers those needs. There is no cost to use our services, so call us today!