DC Dental Insurance Plans

Average Premium, Deductibles, and Benefit Limits

By Insurance Industry Expert & Author

Updated on

Oral Health Options in DC

Despite its limited size, the nation's capital, Washington D.C., supports a robust dental insurance market with a variety of plans from which residents can choose. For this study, 30 different dental coverage options in the city were compared using the same assumptions about an enrollee's age, sex, zip code, etc, for each plan.The insurers offering these 30 plans included MetLife, Delta Dental, Nationwide, Humana, Ameritas, Guardian,Renaissance,Dominion National, and Careington. Below are the trends observed among D.C. dental insurance.

Average Premium

A month of dental coverage cost $45.11 on average among the 30 Washington D.C. plans examined. When a dental discount card was excluded, leaving only traditional insurance and indemnity products, the average monthly premium rose slightly to $46.36. However, this average conceals the broad range of prices available in D.C. The lowest cost option was the "500 Series Dental Savings" discount card program offered by Careington. This program (which has a set network of dentists from whom members can receive reduced prices for dental care) costs only $8.95 a month.

With regard to traditional insurance, the lowest cost plan in the study was the Select Plan Basic DHMO by Dominion National. This plan charged $14.40 a month and restricted care to in-network dentists. At $96.29, the Delta Dental Immediate Coverage Plan PPO was at the other end of the price range. This plan combined the flexibility to use out-of-network dentists with a $3,000 annual limit on the cost of dental services covered by the plan.

Questions answered and ready to buy?

Average Deductible

There were considerable variations of deductible costs among the 30 plans in this study. Several plans, such as Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO) plans and the discount card program, had no annual deductible. There was also a PPO plan with no deductible, but this was the exception for Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans. Some plans that had a deductible waived this cost for a class of dental services (e.g. preventive).

For plans that charged an annual deductible, it was common to see a deductible per enrollee on the plan (e.g. $50 per person enrolled). Some plans had a maximum deductible amount for families (e.g. $150 per year) regardless of the number of family members.

Dental Benefits

Benefits are not standardized for dental plans so there was not a uniform set of covered services. Benefits were normally categorized according to:

  • Preventive (e.g. annual oral exams and teeth cleaning)
  • Basic (e.g. simple filling)
  • Major (e.g. crown or root canal)

Smart consumers will examine a plan's brochure or summary of benefits to establish not only what dental services are covered but at what out-of-pocket costs to the enrollee.

We can help you find the plan that best suits YOUR needs.

lamp

More Oral Health Resources in DC

We've pulled together information to help you find resources in your state to help you maintain your oral health.

District of Columbia Dental Society (DCDS)

Founded one hundred and fifty-five years ago, the District of Columbia Dental Society DCDS has championed improvements in oral health literacy and dental outcomes in the D.C. area.

Reduced Fee Dental Care & Free Dental Care

A list of multiple dental clinics in the D.C. metropolitan area providing dental services at costs reduced from normal rates or for free depending on patient qualifications.

Frequently Asked Questions about Oral Health & Dentistry

This resource provides answers to questions such as:

  • How should I choose a dentist?
  • How long should a person brush their teeth?
  • What should I do if I have my tooth knocked out?
  • Is it safe for pregnant women to visit a dentist?

Need help choosing a plan? Call us at 800-296-3800

Our knowledgeable customer service team will assist you with any questions you may have prior to enrolling in a dental plan. They can guide you through the process of choosing coverage that matches your needs as well as your budget.

Dental Insurance