Medicare Advantage Plans With the Best Dental Coverage
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Call for best price:
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Call for best price:
(855) 935-1973 |
Dental care is an essential part of our overall health and wellbeing, especially as we age. Since Original Medicare doesn’t offer dental coverage, many older adults consider a Medicare Advantage plan with dental coverage to fill this gap. Below, we’ll cover our top picks for Medicare Advantage plans with dental coverage.
Top Medicare Dental Supplement Plans
With all the Medicare Advantage plans on the market, it can be difficult to compare your options. We came up with our list of Medicare Advantage plans for best dental coverage by researching and comparing nationwide availability, pricing, plan options, and additional benefits. You can also compare these against our picks for the best dental plans for seniors in 2022.
With low costs and nationwide availability, it’s no wonder Humana is our choice for the best overall Medicare Advantage plan with dental coverage. Humana serves over 8 million people who qualify for Medicare benefits, and more than 4 million of those members have signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan. Many of Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans cover prescriptions, dental, hearing, vision, OTC allowance, and insulin savings for well-rounded coverage. Humana has Medicare Advantage plans with zero-dollar monthly premiums and up to $2,000 combined preventive and comprehensive dental coverage. This provider also has multiple plans with zero-dollar copays and zero-percent coinsurance.
Humana has a long-standing reputation as a leading insurance provider, offering a variety of plans and serving one of the largest Medicare Advantage plan populations compared to its competitors. It offers several Medicare Advantage plans with low and no-cost premiums for drug and dental coverage plus extra benefits. Read our Humana Medigap review to see what else Humana offers.
Older adults who love to travel may want to consider Aetna Medicare Advantage plans. Aetna boasts the largest network of dental providers nationwide and currently serves over 2.7 million Medicare Advantage members in 46 states and Washington, D.C. Some Medicare Advantage members may like the Direct Member Reimbursement plan. Enrollees get a set allowance each year that they can use for most dental services at any time. Their dental provider network covers any dentist who has not opted out of Medicare.
We appreciate Aetna’s extensive provider network and nationwide accessibility. We also like that most plans have a zero-dollar copay for many dental services. Be sure to check the provider’s website for coverage details in your area; plans may have a $2,000 max coverage for combined preventive and comprehensive dental services, but you still pay 50 percent coinsurance on some dental procedures. For information about Aetna’s other insurance offerings, visit our Aetna Medigap review.
Cigna made our list for its impressive plan benefits, especially for preventive dental care. Some plans cover up to $3,000 for comprehensive dental coverage with no max dollar amount for preventive coverage. Many Cigna Medicare Advantage plans have zero-dollar monthly premiums and zero-dollar copayments for a wide range of dental services, including dental exams, teeth cleanings, and X-rays. Talk about extensive coverage!
Cigna has over 165,000 dental provider locations worldwide and serves more than 500,000 Medicare Advantage plan members. Many of Cigna’s plans offer a zero-dollar maximum for preventive dental coverage and have a generous amount of extras, including health and wellness discounts and behavioral and emotional support. Cigna also offers a variety of Medigap plans. Check out our Cigna Medigap review for more details.
AARP from UnitedHealthcare earned our choice for the best zero-dollar premium plans with dental coverage. UnitedHealthcare serves over 6.5 million people with Medicare Advantage plans, and 2.5 million customers enjoy a zero-dollar premium. Dental coverage is available with most Medicare Advantage plans that also offer zero-dollar copays for in-network dental providers.
We appreciate that you don’t need to be an AARP member to enroll in AARP Medicare Advantage plans from UnitedHealthcare. This can reduce costs for seniors who don’t want another subscription. We also like that many plans with dental have a zero-dollar premium and zero-dollar deductible for routine dental care. We’ve also reviewed UnitedHealthcare’s Medigap plans, in case you’re interested in this provider’s other offerings.
Original Medicare, referred to as Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B, only covers dental issues that happen in the hospital. This means it covers dental issues under emergency situations resulting from accidents or oral cancer-related problems. Traditional Medicare does not cover routine dental exams, cleanings, and X-rays. Older adults looking for dental coverage typically enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, also referred to as Medicare Part C.
Did You Know: Dental care is an essential part of maintaining your health as you age. View our guide to senior oral health and hygiene to learn ways to keep your smile bright and healthy.
The short answer to this question is no, not all Medicare Advantage plans cover dental. The good news, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization focusing on national health issues, is that 92 percent of Medicare Advantage plans in 2021 cover some dental.1 This is an increase from the 88 percent of Medicare Advantage plans that covered some dental in 2020.2
Medicare Advantage plans with dental coverage generally have preventive coverage and comprehensive coverage. Preventive coverage refers to general dental checkups every six months and includes dental exams, X-rays, and cleanings. Comprehensive coverage includes restorative crowns, fillings, root canals, tooth extractions, prosthodontics (dentures or partials), and some oral surgeries.
Bonus: Learn more about affordable dental care for seniors for other dental options outside of Medicare.
Some Medicare Advantage plans with dental benefits combine preventive and comprehensive services in their plan’s max coverage amount. Other plans have no maximum amount for preventive coverage and a plan limit for comprehensive coverage. Medicare Advantage plans with dental coverage tend to be comparable to dental coverage under the employer plans you may be used to.
Since graduating from Harvard with an honors degree in Statistics, Jeff has been creating content in print, online, and on television. Much of his work has been dedicated to informing seniors on how to live better lives. As Editor-in-Chief of the personal… Learn More About Jeff Hoyt
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2020). Medicare Advantage 2021 Spotlight: First Look.
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2019). Medicare Advantage 2020 Spotlight: First Look.
