By Andrew Bird
Medicare is a great program for seniors.
It covers a lot of the major medical costs that accompany many of us as we age, such as most stays at the hospital and most major surgeries. If you are on Part B it will even cover most things at the doctor’s office.
However, one of the things that Medicare does not cover is dental and vision, unless the treatment is 0medically necessary.
Just like the rest of our body, our eyes and teeth need regular maintenance and check-ups. Unfortunately, this is one of the holes that Medicare expects you to pick up.
Recently, insurance companies have been creating new plans to help cover some of the costs of visiting the dentist or optometrist. These plans are called “stand-alone dental/vision plans.”
With a typical stand-alone dental/vision plan, the policyholder pays a small deductible up front and then the plan pays a percentage of the costs up to an annual maximum benefit.
The annual maximum benefit is selected at the time of purchase and is usually around $1,000 to $1,500. Some of these plans might have waiting periods for some major work such as crowns or dentures.
It is important to keep this in mind as each company is different. Some companies even offer hearing benefits all rolled into the same plan.
For assistance on helping you decide what plan best fits your needs, please contact your local licensed professional.
Andrew Bird, an agent at Financial Concepts in Mesquite, specializes in Medicare and Insurance services. Andrew Bird can be reached at 702-346-7025 or by email at Abird@rconnects.com
I have to give my personal thanks to Andrew.
My mom is going through a transitional period right now, moving between here and Ohio. Her current insurance is an HMO (United Health Care), it covers most everything for her in Ohio and NOTHING here except a quick care visit. My mom is on meds that need monitoring and needs to see a doc at least every three months. Here her doc wants to see her EVERY month, he’s a specialist and it’s EXPENSIVE and out of pocket completely.
We went to Andrew, TWICE! Both visits were honest, informative and comfortable. He isn’t a high pressure sales guy, he’s there to help and HE DID! We went the first time and gave him our situation, he listened intently, gave us the information he had and told us he’d call us back when he found the information, we needed, that he didn’t have. Second visit he told us right now he didn’t have a program that would benefit my mom as a part time resident, it would be too expensive for her to maintain, he knew it and didn’t pressure her. He is working on certification and licensing ( still in paperwork process) for a program that will benefit my mom once she establishes full time residency. She will, and we’ll be back to Andrew; mom likes him too and she trusts him.
I highly urge everyone to seek face to face help on insurance matters. Going online or talking to a rep over the phone got my mom stuck into a program that they promised would work for her in her situation (being a part time resident who needs medical monitoring). They promised her plan would work in Ohio, Arizona and Nevada…mom loves Dr. Aschenaki, she wanted her for a doc…THEY LIED TO HER OVER THE PHONE. Once she signed up for the plan, she was stuck for the year. It covers nothing here and my mom has spent a fortune on medical bills for the past 7 months and still isn’t seeing the doctor she wants.
He didn’t sell us a thing but we will be sure to sign with him when the time is right. Thanks again Andrew for putting my mom’s mind at ease, it’s so much better face to face on such complicated issues; you made it easier. We appreciate you!