As you know, our annual Open Enrollment season for health insurance ended on January 31. Unless you have a qualifying life event during the year, you won’t be able to make changes to your health insurance plan or enroll in a plan until Open Enrollment begins again in the fall.
But did you know that this rule does not apply to dental or vision insurance? Dental and vision benefits are not included as standard benefits on most health insurance plans, so you probably don’t have coverage in these areas. And luckily, dental and vision insurance plans are not subject to the annual Open Enrollment period. You can enroll in a dental or vision plan at any time!
Just one emergency can cost you several thousand dollars in dental bills, and even people with perfect eyesight can develop a problem at any time. Dental and vision insurance plans typically have relatively low premiums, helping you to manage the cost of these bills.
Of course, as with any other type of insurance, you should consider a few things before selecting a dental or vision insurance policy:
- What are the exclusions? Does the policy cover routine preventive care, or only treatment of problems?
- Is there a waiting period before you can access certain benefits? Which ones?
- What type of coverage does the plan offer for individual procedures? For example, a dental plan might pay 80 to 100 percent of the cost of exams, x-rays or cleanings, but only cover 50 percent of the cost of a root canal or crown.
- Which providers are covered under the plan? If you have a favorite dentist or optometrist, this could be important information to you.
As with all insurance decisions, choosing a dental or vision plan can be a complex process. Contact our office for more details, and we can help you compare plans and select one that is right for you. You can even shop for plans online by clicking here.
