Dental / Vision / Hearing
Dental / Vision / Hearing products are common for people signing up for Medicare. None of these products are available to clients on Original Medicare. Some Dental, Vision, and Hearing is available to some clients on Medicare advantage, but these products are limited in coverage and clients often look for supplemental products.
Clients on Medicare Supplement or Medigap Plans
If you're looking for Dental, Vision, or Hearing with your Medigap plans (we'll use the term Medigap to also refer to Medicare Supplement plans as they're the same) you'll need to purchase additional coverage. These products are so simple to purchase you can get them right from our website here. The first thing to decide is if you would like Dental alone or if you would like your coverage to include Vision and Hearing. The Vision and Hearing coverages are so inexpensive we recommend this option as it is often lower cost than similar dental coverage alone.
Dental / Vision Hearing combined (DVH coverage)
DVH coverage is a great addition to Medigap plans and should be considered. Here are the things to look for in your coverage:
A robust dental network
Plenty of Dental Coverage
The option to use your full benefit for dental, vision, or hearing.
Reasonable and Customary reimbursement for out-of-network services.
Simple claims reimbursement policies
The option of more than $1,000 annual benefit policies.
Recommended: Manhattan Life DVH
We recommend Manhattan Life's DVH plan for the most robust long-term-coverage. Why do we say that? It's hard to argue with the coverage limits, but it gets better each and every year. Maximum coverage amounts start in the 3rd year. The first year you'll get great benefits like routine dental and fillings coverage. Coverage for major dental like root canals starts the 2nd year.
Benefits:
First year you get access to routine dental services like cleanings and minor services like fillings.
Second year you get access to major services like root canals.
Maximum coverage kicks in year 3 with up to 80% coverage.
There is an incredibly reasonable deductible of $100 per person per year.
Your rate class is locked in when you purchase the product (tip: sign up at age 64 to secure your pre-65 discount)
Ages 18-99 can obtain coverage. Children can be added to parents' policies.
You get lower cost services if you use the impressive Carington Network.
You can review the cost, look over the brochure, and sign up for coverage directly with us or using our Manhattan Life DVH portal here:
Manhattan Life DVH Portal
2nd Recommendation: Manhattan Life DVH Select
But, it says "Select" right in the name! Isn't this one better? Not for everyone.
Simply put this plan is only better for clients looking for first year coverage on major services. The coverage is similar in that there is robust out of network coverage, the same Carington network, and age ranges.
The things we don't love are a short list:
Over time the coverage limits don't get as high as the traditional DVH product.
Vision and Hearing riders (that's right, you don't have to buy them if you don't want) have category limits making them less desirable than the traditional product.
All things considered the pricing is not quite as competitive as the traditional DVH product (but it's close and a great option if you need major procedures covered in the first year).
Bonuses of this coverage:
You can opt to pay a little more to remove the deductible amount.
Vision and Hearing riders are optional, so you can make this a dental-only product if you'd like. That said, Vision and Hearing riders are reasonably priced.
There is limited coverage for implants with this plan that is not included on the traditional DVH product.
You can review the cost, look over the brochure, and sign up for coverage directly with us or using our Manhattan Life DVH Select portal here:
Manhattan Life DVH Select portal
Other Honorable Mentions:
Cigna and Aetna both have products available. We don't recommend them for most clients. Even though they maintain the same Carington network, they really work as in-network only plans. You can use these plans out of network, but they only reimburse based on in-network rates and both have more restrictive category limits for vision and hearing.
Aetna tends to be a lower cost coverage.
Cigna has a few nice features. If you had dental coverage in the past you'll get more coverage in year one. Also, they allow up to $5,000 in dental coverage. We rarely see clients using that much coverage.
These are the reasons we don't lead with these products, but the are available if you call us.
Dental Only
Recommended: Ameritas Dental
For those looking for dental only coverage we recommend Ameritas Dental. The reason is simple: the network is hard to beat. It does slightly outpace the Carington Network in most areas, but you'll pay for it. Also Ameritas' rates are flat regardless of age, so they become more competitive for older clients. Ameritas pricing varies considerably from zip code to zip code, so it's always good to check.
Coverage on the PrimeStar Access product is similar to Manhattan Life's DVH Select.
You can check out pricing and the impressive Ameritas network at our Ameritas Dental portal by clicking here: