Adding supplemental dental insurance to Medicare coverage

eHealth, Inc. subsidiary, PlanPrescriber, has now published a report for beneficiaries of Medicare who are looking to purchase additional stand-alone insurance that covers dental. Part A and B of Medicare (also known as the Original program) does not include dental in its coverage. Therefore, if a beneficiary of Medicare experiences a medical emergency where their teeth need care, the original plan might or might not provide coverage for the emergency, depending on who has provided the care. Furthermore, basic Medicare coverage does not provide the type of dental coverage that…

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Dental problems force uninsured Tennessee residents into ERs

A report issued by The Pew Center on the States has shown that residents of Tennessee suffering from toothaches and other dental problems are finding themselves in hospital emergency rooms as many of them cannot afford preventive care and are not covered by dental insurance. Residents of that state have made over 55,000 visits to emergency rooms since 2009 due to issues with their teeth or because of jaw disorders. Adults do not receive dental coverage by TennCare, and many employers within Tennessee do not include dental coverage in their…

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IBISWorld report shows the challenges and triumph of the dental insurance industry

IBISWorld, a market research firm serving many industries, has released a new report detailing the challenges facing the dental insurance industry as well as its successes over the past five years. Dental insurance is a rarity in the U.S., accounting for just 7% of all active insurance policies found in the country. While some of this may be due to persistent fear regarding dentistry from consumers, insurers claim that much of the industry’s shortcomings come from a bad economy and rising costs in medical care. The report shows that dental…

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Survey shows Americans are avoiding the dentist due to the struggling economy

The Brighter.com “2011 Survey of Dental Care Affordability and Accessibility” conducted by Empirica research along with University of Southern California professor Dr. David Neal has shown that about half of all Americans do not have dental insurance, and that in 2010, the premiums for dental coverage rose by a much greater amount than those for medical insurance. This fact, in combination with the struggling economic times, is meaning that an increasing number of people are pushing dental care down on their priority lists because they feel they cannot afford it.…

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