Does Medical Insurance Include Dental Coverage?

Both the individual health insurance market and the group insurance market usually have dental insurance as a separate policy.  Their are some individual health insurance plans that actually have dental included.  Carriers such as Aetna and Cigna offer medical plans with dental as an added benefit.   

Dental insurance is actually a very tricky thing.  The monthly premiums are actually very affordable.  The problem is that the coverage is not that rich.  Most dental insurance policies have an annual maximum around $1,000 or $2,000.  In addition to that, most dental plans have a waiting period.  Meaning, you have to wait about 6-12 months before you can use the insurance for most major dental services.  Since the insurance can be canceled anytime, insurance carriers are very careful about the waiting period.  They know that most people will purchase the insurance before a known dental service, and then cancel the policy right after. 

The health insurance plans that include dental also have very limiting coverage.  Many consumers choose to just pay for the dental services out of their own pocket.  Sometimes it is worth the hassle and also comes out to be cheaper to getting a policy.  Also, not all dental insurance plans include ortho coverage.  It is important to read the benefit details before deciding which plan is right for you.