Some Medicare Advantage Plans offer enhanced dental coverage. Unlike Original Medicare, which tends to only pay for emergency or complicated dental procedures that are performed in a hospital, the Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) might cover routine dental care, as well as many other dental services. The benefits and coverage may vary depending on the plan.
What is Medicare?
Medicare is a medical insurance program administered by the United States government, which essentially covers those over 65 and the disabled, regardless of the declared income.
In Medicare you can enroll for a part called A (hospital insurance) and a part called B (medical insurance). If you do not register for part B from the 3 months prior to the age of 65 until the 3 months following that date, you will pay the penalty, which consists of 10% per year for each year in which you do not register. In addition to parts A and B there are two other parts: part C, known as Medicare Advantage, which offers health care plans managed by private insurance companies recognized by Medicare. These plans bring benefits to parts A and B and their services and contribute to the payment of prescription drugs. Part D, on the other hand, contributes to the payment of the costs of the drugs, lowers the costs of the prescribed drugs and protects against the increase in the cost of these drugs.
What do the Medicare Advantage Plans cover?
Medicare Advantage plans (part C) are offered by private health insurance companies that cover, in addition to everything already covered in parts A and B (Original Medicare), also a series of additional services, such as, for example:
- routine dental care including cleaning, X-rays and prostheses;
- routine vision care including contact lenses and glasses;
- routine hearing aids;
- fitness benefits, including gymnastics classes.
In practice, Medicare Advantage Plan embraces gaps in Medicare Coverage. The most significant motivation to switch from a plan A or plan B to a plan C is because you will benefit from linked coverage insurance as well. This option allows you to have more choices in your healthcare coverage, which implies that you won’t need to spend so much money on bills for your most pressing healthcare issues.
However, you need to know that there are significant differences between the Medicare Advantage Plans. Surely, their common feature is that almost all offer similar types of insurance, but all plan has its benefits and guidance.
Does Medicare Cover Dental Care?
Medicare usually doesn’t offer insurance for dental costs at all. The basic Medicare Plan typically requires that you pay out of pocket for the total costs of extractions, your regular teeth cleanings, dentures, and fillings.
But the good news is that Medicare Advantage Plan can include dental care coverage. If you add this plan to your existing Medicare plan, you can have proper coverage for x-rays, extractions, cleanings and other basic general dental practices and your costs can be totally covered. You can even add coverage for further in-depth procedures, such as root canals, bridges, dentures and implants.
How much does it cost to get Dental Coverage with Medicare?
The cost of your Medicare Advantage Plan can greatly vary, depending on a number of different factors, from whether the plan charges a monthly premium to how often you need medical or dental services, along with any extra benefits you might need for your coverage.
To determine how much you may have to pay in order to benefit from the Medicare Advantage Plan, you should consult the medicare government website or talk to your insurance representative. This is also the best way to determine what your medicare plan covers for you and how to upgrade it if you aren’t getting the best deal out of your current plan.
In addition to healthcare insurance, opting for a Medicare Advantage Plan can be a great possibility to get rid of huge medical expenses. With the Medicare Advantage Plan, you may even be able to cover the expenses of any costly dental operations that you might need. The best way to find out if the Medicare Advantage Plan is best for you is by visiting the website and talking to your insurance representative.
[1]Medicare.gov: What’s Medicare?
[2]Healthline: Medicare Advantage Plans: What They Cover
[3]Ehealth Medicare: Do Medicare Advantage Plans Cover Dental Services?
[4]Aarp Medicare Plans: Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
