Dental Indemnity Plans

Dental indemnity plans are the most comprehensive kind of dental insurance you can buy. They’re also one of the most expensive.

Indemnity is protection against a loss. In the case of insurance, indemnity refers to the compensation your insurance company gives you when you file a claim. The insurance company reimburses you for your healthcare expenses.

An Expensive Option For Dental Care

There was a time when all health and dental insurance plans were based on the indemnity model. You went to dentist to get whatever care you needed. You paid the dentist for their work, and your insurance reimbursed you when you filed a claim.

The problem is this: technology improved, and healthcare and dentistry got better at keeping us healthy. The new treatments were very effective — and they were also expensive. So the cost of healthcare kept going up. And so did insurance premiums.

That means today dental indemnity plans are expensive. But if you find an affordable plan, it will provide you with the most flexible and comprehensive coverage available.

Advantages Of Indemnity Dental Plans

One of the reasons for the expense of indemnity dental plans is that they can cover almost all your dental expenses. They also give you almost complete control of which dental services you get, and where you get them.

The two main advantages of indemnity dental plans are:

• Choosing your own dentist. An indemnity dental plan will pay for any covered service, no matter which dentist you go to. In managed care dental plans, you'll have to choose a dentist from the within the plan’s “network.”
• Treatment doesn't need to be approved. As long as a service is listed as being covered in your plan, you’ll get reimbursed. This means you have more control over how and when you get dental care. In managed care plans, many services that go above and beyond preventive dental care will have to be approved by your insurance company. Indemnity plans don't require you to get approval.

That doesn't mean the tradeoff isn't worth it. Managed care dental plans still provide comprehensive coverage and savings — they just have more restrictions.

If you aren't sure which option is right for you, talk with an insurance agent. A professional agent is the best resource for sorting out your dental health needs and finding the plan that fits you the best. To get matched with agents near you, just fill out our short and simple form to get free dental quotes.