Last Updated 2/18/2023
With a population of just over 5 million, oral health is listed as Alabama’s #12 Health Concern. The cash price for going the recommended twice a year for a cleanings average $125 each visit, and four bitewing x-rays which average $35 each taken each year for a total of $390 a year or an average monthly cost of $32.50 per person. With these numbers, most Alabama dental insurance plans are affordable will end up paying for themselves. In addition, if additional service such as fillings or extractions are needed, coverage for these procedures are provided providing for addition financial efficiency.
According to Alabama Public Health, there are several issues identified with why oral health is an issue:
- Alabama adults use clinics at a significantly lower rate than found in the United States.
- Alabama has the fifth worst percentage of adults visiting a dentist within the last year in the nation.
- Alabama has a higher rate of dentists per population than the United States.
- Urban counties in Alabama have a rate of dentists per population that is more than twice the rate of rural counties in Alabama.
- There was no significant difference between urban and rural counties with regards to utilization of dental services for Medicaid children.
- Adults 65 and over have the highest utilization of dental services among BCBS claims by a wide margin.
Alabama Dental Insurance Carriers
While we are not able to review every dental insurance carrier in Alabama, here are the ones we will be looking at. Others may be added over time or as requested.
- Aetna
- Ameritas
- Cigna
- Humana
- Manhattan Life
- Medico
- Mutual Of Omaha
- Surebridge
Ameritas
Ameritas offers three different plans in Alabama for the zip codes we have checked. The coverage begins the next day as long as you sign up by the 27th. Due to payment scheduling, anyone signing up for coverage between the 28th and the 31st will have to wait for coverage to begin on the first. Price for a single person ranges from $16 to $40 for a single person.
While this plan is a PPO, using the network dentist can save you additional money.
Coverage specifics are from least expensive to most expensive is:
- The Primestar Value Plan provides $750 a year coverage, has a $50 deductible for type II and type III procedures. Cleaning are covered at 90% day 1 and increases to 100% after the first year. Types II services are covered at 50% from day 1 and at 80% after the first year. Type III is not covered until after the first year, at which it covers 15% of the cost. Note that the biannual cleaning do not apply to the coverage limit making this a great option if someone has strong oral health.
- The Prime Star Access Plan provides $1000 annual coverage day 1, increasing to $2000 a year in coverage after year 1. It has a $50 deductible for type II and type III procedures. Cleaning are covered at 100% day 1 in network. Types II services are covered at 65% from day 1 and at 80% after the first year. Type III is covered at 20% day 1 and that increases to 50% after the first year. In addition, this plan covers up to $1000 lifetime per child orthodontics with day 1 coverage at 15%, then 50% after year 1. Note that the biannual cleaning do not apply to the coverage limit making this a great option if someone has children that may need orthodontic coverage.
Mutual Of Omaha
Mutual Of Omaha is a well known and financially solid company offering multiple insurance products. Two dental plans are offered in Alabama, both are a PPO. Being a PPO, you can use any dentist you wish and have some form of coverage. However using one of the dentist in their network will provide you greater savings. Let’s look at how these plans compare.
The Mutual of Omaha Protection plan is a solid affordable plan starting around $21 a month for an individual. However the $100 annual deductible makes it less attractive than other programs. In addition, with no major dental coverage for the first year, this is not the best plan for someone looking to have dental work in the first 12 months.
You can find out is a dentist is in network here.
Find Mutual Of Omaha Network Dentist
Resources:
Below is the list of resources we used for this article.