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Denali Dental offers a PPO and Indemnity dental plan.  They can be chosen with annual benefit maximums of $1,500, $2,500 or $3,500.  The plans cover preventative, basic and major services with the PPO version also offering an Ortho benefit.   Read more

Careington offers a Dental and Vision discount program for a $6.95 monthly premium for individuals and $11.95 for couples and $15.95 for families.  There is no benefit limit on the plan and discounts on dental services range from 20% to 50% depending on the service.  The plan uses the Aetna PPO dental network which is one of the better dental networks available.  (To determine if a dentist participates, ask them if the participate in the Aetna PPO dental network)  There is also an online tool to check participation. (Once in- choose your state, and click on the “Learn More” button for the Aetna network plan.  There is a provider search button on the bottom right hand side)

Unlike some discount plans, the Careington plan has no paperwork for the member to submit.  The discount is automatically credited at the time of service. There is also a vision benefit which provides discounts on hardware.  To learn more about the plan, search providers and sign up you can CLICK HERE FOR THE CAREINGTON WEBSITE   **In order to apply for the plan, the site will ask for a broker code- The code is CROWE   (All capital letters)

Careington offers a combo vision and dental discount plan in Connecticut.  The plan is very reasonably prices at $6.95 a month for a single person, $11.95 for two people and $15.95 for a family.

I have not been an advocate of discount vision and dental plans in the past but the Careington plan has proved to be a value to our clients.  The networks are strong with VSP for vision and Aetna for a dental network and the discounts make a big difference.  We have found that people actually save more money with this discount plan than they do with traditional dental and vision insurance.   The problem with traditional dental and vision is that the average monthly premium is $30 per person which makes it hard generate an annual savings. The low premium of the Careington plan along with the major discounts make this plan a better choice for most consumers.

A link to the benefits of the plan is attached. CAREINGTON LINK TO BENEFITS AND ONLINE APPLICATIION   You may also sign up for the plan through this link for those that want to purchase it.  The online application will ask you for an agent/broker code before it will let you apply.  Our agency code is CROWE which can be entered and will allow you to move to the application section.

IMPORTANT- For people in CT and NY, be sure to select the plan choice that uses the Aetna Dental Network.  (The 2nd plan from the left) The Aetna dental network is much stronger in CT and NY.

Please call Crowe & Associates with any questions or concerns.

We receive requests for good dental and vision insurance on a daily basis from clients ranging in age from 25 to 80 years old.  There are a number of Dental and Vision plans available but most of them are structured in a way that makes it difficult to get your money’s worth out of them.

We have come up with two plans that currently offer the best value on the market.  There are two types of plans for Vision and Dental.  You have Dental and Vision insurance and then there are a number of dental and vision discount plans.   They both have pros and cons but we will focus on the Dental Insurance here.

Humana offers a dental and vision plan that provides for strong benefits coupled with one of the better dental networks.  The biggest key of the plan is that is also is reasonably priced.  The price for the plan also does not change based on age and a person of any age is eligible.  Monthly premiums for the Dental plan are $22.99 a month per person.  The plan covers preventative services at 100% and basic services at 50% ($50 deductible on basic).  This is the plan we recommend to clients currently however we will start to recommend a different plan if one of a better value becomes available.

To look at benefit for this plan and/or apply for it online, you can use the Humana link provided.   CLICK HERE FOR HUMANA LINK

Please feel free to email or call Crowe & Associates with any questions.

We receive calls everyday from clients looking to purchase dental insurance on an individual basis.   They usually do not have access to group dental insurance and want some way to control the costs of their dental care.   Finding an individual dental plan of value is tricky but possible.

We work with a number of dental plans such as Anthem BCBS Individual dental,  Golden rule Dental, Delta Dental and a number of others.     Many people focus on the max benefit of the plan which is usually $1,000 to $1,250 a year.   The out of pocket max is important but the key element is to make sure you dentist will accept the plan and also to know what type of coverage you can get on major services.  Overall monthly premium is a factor as well because you need to make sure your preventative coverage is worth what you are paying in premium. If you cant break even on the cost with the preventative care alone, it may be wise to look at other plans.

You need to look at plan that cost $26.00 or less per month per person.  Over that amount makes it difficult to get your money’s worth out of the plan.

Anthem BCBS offers a plan for $15.00 a month but it coverage preventative benefits only which hurts the value.   Golden Rule (United), Ameritus and Delta (AARP Dental) have plans with nice benefit offerings but they are all priced in the $30 to $50 a month range.

We recommend the Humana Individual dental plan at $22.99 a month and the Carington discount dental plan and vision plan at $14.95 a month.  Both offer a reasonable premium and worth while benefits.

Carington offers a Dental and Vision plan through Aetna Healthcare.  The plan combines Dental and Vision and offers substantial discounts at a reasonable price. ($14.95 a month for the whole family)   Vision and Dental insurance rates can range from $20 a month to $50  per person depending on company offering the plan.  These plans usually have very limited networks which makes it difficult to find a dentist.

The Carington plan  offers discounts on all services for dental and vision.  The plan utilizes and Aetna dental and vision network which is a big improvement over most plans.

Medicare A and B provides coverage for most medical services.  Many seniors purchase a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Supplement to pick up the costs not covered by A and B. Medicare A and B does not provide coverage for Dental, Vision and Hearing.  In the past, many Medicare Advantage plans would also provide benefits for these services but in the past 2 to 3 years they have been dropping these benefits.

It is very difficult to find a stand along dental or vision plan for seniors let alone to find one which is worth the premium.  There is now a discount plan from Carington that provides substantial discounts on all these services and is available to those over age 65.  The plan provides discounts on Dental, Vision and hearing services ranging from 20% to 60%.  Carington has an online function that allows you to search providers and also allows you to see how much a service will cost and to what extent it is going to be discounted.  They utilize an Aetna dental and vision network for better access to choice of providers.

The plan is priced very reasonably at $6.95 a month for an individual up to $15.95 for a family.  Carington Plan Design and Rates Document

If you have questions about this plan, please contact Edward Crowe at 203-796-5403 or email at Edward@croweandassociates.com

Individual Dental Plans in Connecticut

Purchasing an individual dental plan in Connecticut has traditionally been a difficult task.  The premiums for the plans usually cost almost as much as  the max annual benefit. (max benefit is usually $1,000 or $1,500 a year). Most  plans have have waiting periods on basic and major services of at least 6 months.  Once those waiting periods have been met the plan will pay 40% to 60% of the allowable cost.  Preventative cleanings are usually covered 100% from day one but many plans only cover one per year.  On top of this dentists often do not participate with many of the plans making it more difficult.

This has changes to a certain extent recently.  There are now some plans available that do offer a fair premium compared to the benefits you can receive.  Here are three that you may want to consider.

Ameritas- They have a variety of stand alone dental plans ranging from $25.00 to $70.00 a month.  The waiting periods are reasonable for basic services and preventative dental is covered at 100% which includes X-rays.  Be careful however, because at this time they only allow one preventative cleaning a year on the lower cost options.

Get a quote: https://secure.healthplan.com/agent_platypus/quote_start.php?go=true&cust_link=CUS1013121551

Aetna-  Aetna offers a very affordable plan ($16 a month for individuals under 65 and $15 a month for those over 65) that covers two preventative cleanings including X-rays a year.  The network has a surprising number of participating dentists as well.  Be careful when asking your dentist if they accept the plan.  There are a number of Aetna networks and you need to make sure they are in the one specific to your plan.  The Aetna Plans are not “Stand Alone” and as a result, you must be enrolled in an Aetna Individual Medical or Medicare Advantage plan to be eligible.

Get a quote: https://www.aetna.com/iqs/aimquote.do

Golden Rule “United Health One”-  This plan came out in July of 2009.  The premium for the value option is $26.00 a month and the plan covers 2 preventative cleanings including X-rays.  There is 80% coverage for basic services and 50% coverage for Major services (after a reasonable waiting period 3 months and 6 months)  The network is adequate in most areas.  This plan can be used as a stand alone option and is available to people of any age.

Get a quote: https://www.goldenrulehealth.com/Customer/QuotePages/CustZipCode.aspx?SID=bc05c0ff-2120-4705-a19b-8282fc6507a3