I'm running a bit of an experiment in my household regarding dental expenses. I have access to a dental plan through my employer that costs about $26 per person, per month with no employer contribution. My SO has much better teeth than I do. I decided to sign up for my employer dental plan and self-insure my SO with an equal monthly contribution to a savings account and see how much better I can do. We both take 2 cleanings per year, with 1 bitewing x ray. So far, I've built up a nice cushion if my SO ever needs a filling, and I think long term it will be a better thing to self insure.
Here's where it gets interesting: The dentist's office convinced my SO to sign up for the DentRite discount plan, on the grounds that it basically pays for itself if you do regular cleanings. It costs $30/year, and entails flat fees for routine things: $30 for a cleaning, $10 for a checkup, and $20 for a bitewing x-ray. So for 2 cleanings, 2 checkups, 1 x ray, and member fee, the annual bill came out to $130.
Am I missing a catch here? It seems like a cleaning can go for $70 or so without a plan, so DentRite pays for itself immediately. They also provide a 20% discount on most heavier procedure, like fillings, etc. Their pricing structure can be found here:
http://www.dentrite.comWhat's the catch? I'm pretty convinced it makes sense to self-insure for my SO, but I'm wondering if DentRite has anything hidden that I'm missing. Has anyone used it before?
Furthermore, I can't ever seem to get solid numbers when comparing my dental expenses with what the dentist charges the insurance company (and what they settle on to pay). My dentist likes to show "how much I saved", but it always seems outrageously inflated, especially when comparing the charge for their services to the healthcare bluebook.