The Assurant Employee Benefits dental plan which is the brand name for prepaid (or DHMO) dental products provided by United Dental Care of Arizona. This dental plan offers individual and family dental benefits with attractive prepayment fees for you, your spouse and dependent children as defined by state law. * There are no deductibles and no yearly limits on services, and there are no claim forms to fill out. Your savings are in place when you visit a network dentist. You just show up for your dental appointment and make your payment – what could be easier? The dentists must meet the Plan’s standard of quality and service. All have agreed to provide dental care at an affordable price to its members. Since there is no waiting period for your dental services to begin, pre-existing dental conditions are covered and best of all, the dental plan services starts on the first day of next month if the application is received by the dental plan on or before the 20th of this month. Review the sample schedule and see how easy it is for you or your entire family to enjoy these quality dental services.

I was searching the benefit and services for the Careington dental discount plans in California and found they have some good options for the dental plan 507. I am not sure how well the plan would work for the Share of Cost Medi-Cal program since the SOC program generally requires dental insurance but the discount plan should work for many others.  CareingtonDental.com web site indicates all of the dental service charges are reduced if performed by a participating general dentist.

That would mean you need to select a plan network dentist but I do not see this as a bad thing since a great majority of people without a dental plan do not go to the dentist anyway so what does it matter which dentist you eventually go too? It doesn’t!

A good item was the 20% discount for charges not listed which could be a lot depending on the office you visit. I found some important disclosures and copied them here for your review –  Implants and some whitening procedures will not be discounted by all participating carrington providers.

Implants and some whitening procedures will only be discounted if the participating careington provider has agreed to discount these procedures as part of their contract. These services will be offered, when applicable, at a 15% discount off of the provider’s normal fee. If the General Dentist’s normal fee for any procedure is less than the fee listed on this schedule, the dentist will charge 20% off of their normal fee for that procedure

The disclosures as noted indicate this is a discount program and not an insurance plan as noted above. However it could possibly be used as a supplemental dental plan if the dentist goes along with it… Careington cannot guarantee specialty care in all areas. In cases in which you are referred to a participating specialist, you will generally receive 15% to 20% off their usual and customary fees. Please verify such benefits with each individual provider. Work in progress, after joining the plan, must be completed by the provider who started the work. Any procedures performed by a non-participating provider are not included. They cannot guarantee the continued participation of any provider. If he or she leaves the plan, you will need to select another provider. Not all types of providers may be available in your area.

Some providers may charge for missed or broken appointments if no prior notice is given. It is the member’s responsibility to verify that the provider is a participating provider. This plan does not include all procedures which might be provided. Any procedure delivered which is not listed on the Schedule of Services may cause additional cost to be incurred by the member. The dollar amount specified adjacent to each procedure may not be the only cost incurred for a given treatment because the treatment may require more than one procedure. Note to Utah Residents: This contract is not protected by the Utah Life and Health Guaranty Association. The program and the program administrators have no liability for providing or guaranteeing service and have no liability for the quality of service rendered.

I hope this brief review will help you make an informed dental plan decision. I would recommend purchasing it if you can locate a dentist near you in their network.

According to the National Association of Dental Plans, approximately half of the U.S. population does not have an affordable dental plan. The cost for affordable dental insurance can vary. Therefore, it is important to understand all your options in obtaining the most affordable dental plan coverage.

The company where you work may provide the most affordable dental insurance plan options. Dental insurance plans for individual and families are usually an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) or a PPO (Preferred Provided Organization) and operate much like traditional health insurance organizations.

Affordable Dental Plans – HMO

Affordable dental insurance plans from an HMO have a limited pool of dentist to select, but it is a more affordable insurance plan. If you are self employed and looking for a more affordable dental plan, a discount dental plan may be an alternative.

Discount dental plans are not dental insurance plans. A discount plan partners with dentists to provide customers with a savings on visits to the dentist office. The downside to discount dental plans is that they are not regulated and you have limited recourse if you experience dental plan problems.

Affordable Dental Plans – Where to Buy

You can obtain quotes for more affordable dental insurance plans from companies online and through your local insurance agent or broker. Please keep in mind that there are many web sites who give the appearance of selling dental insurance but instead only offer a dental discount plan which is not insurance.

Your dentist may also have affordable dental plan options available to patients.  Ask the receptionist if they partner with a dental plan company and see if one might be right for you.

Affordable Dental Plans – Other Alternatives

If you belong to a professional association, you might be eligible for a dental insurance or discount dental plan. Many associations partner with a PPO to provide their members with dental plans that offer very comprehensive insurance coverage at more affordable prices.

Finally, dental schools may offer affordable dental services. Dental schools seem to be safe, but can be inconvenient and treatment for one problem may have to be addressed in multiple office visits.

Welcome to ShareofCost.com which provides a consumer forum for helping Medi-Cal, Medicaid, Medicare, and other beneficiaries find a dental insurance plan to meet their threshold for Share of Cost.