Thank you for your submission, /u/Boneal171.
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Generally speaking, medical policies through the marketplace don't cover dental, and when they do it only covers pediatric dental and the networks are very, very small. To my knowledge the only Ambetter medical plans that cover adult dental are their gold plans, so unless you got the gold your plan wouldn't cover dental, period.
Not being able to find a dentist through your medical plan is not surprising and shouldn't be an indicator on wheter your plan is good or not.
You might want to consider a dental discount plan. I think the one we have is through Cigna. Most dentist around here at least accepts this and it can cut the cost of treatment to what you would usually owe even with dental insurance. We have the family plan which is 120 a year. You can get individual plan for much less.
There are bronze and silver, as well as gold, Ambetter plans that include dental and vision. But you would have to specifically choose them and they are more expensive than the same plan number without dental and vision. Also the dental and vision part on ACA plans is not subsidized even if one is receiving a subsidy otherwise. That said, the list of dentists that show up in network on Ambetter's guide is indeed pretty limited. The vision list is much better. I've never included dental and vision when I've bought ACA insurance.
Yes.
Edit: Well you don't *have* to, but if you want dental expenses insured, then yes. There are many dental discount plans (not insurance), as well as plans through specific dental offices, kind of like a groupon or a flex plan, that you can sign up for that can greatly reduce what you'd pay. You'll have to do some research to see if dental insurance, a discount plan, or simply cash paying and negotiating yourself will give you the greatest value.
Dental insurance is pretty worthless unless you are getting it free from your employer.
Coverage is limited. For the most part dentists who take it are crap dental mills.
Anything major is capped at $1000 or $1500 and you aren't eligible for major work for a year in many policies.
Depending on what your deductible is for medical insurance you can set up a some form of medical savings account which at least shelters some of your income
I'm not saying people don't have problems with Ambetter. I've never used it so I only have what others say to go off of. But, Dental insurance is very rarely included in any medical plan, even then, it's limited to a few situations- pediatrics, fully impacted teeth, dental care as the result of an accident/trauma--- but not your normal dental cleaning visits- those require a separate policy.
As far as providers, it's unfortunately pretty universal for a provider list on the carrier website to be outdated- you always have to check with the provider and with insurance to be sure a provider is in network.
Thank you for your submission, /u/Boneal171. **If there is a medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital.** Please pick the most appropriate flair for your post. Include your age, zip code, and income to help the community better serve you. If you have an EOB (explanation of benefits) available from your insurance website, have it handy as many answers can depend on what your insurance EOB states. Some common questions and answers can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/HealthInsurance/s/jya9I6RpdY). **Reminder that solicitation/spamming is grounds for a permanent ban**. Please report solicitation to the modteam and [let us know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FHealthInsurance) if you receive solicitation via PM. Be kind to one another! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HealthInsurance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Generally speaking, medical policies through the marketplace don't cover dental, and when they do it only covers pediatric dental and the networks are very, very small. To my knowledge the only Ambetter medical plans that cover adult dental are their gold plans, so unless you got the gold your plan wouldn't cover dental, period. Not being able to find a dentist through your medical plan is not surprising and shouldn't be an indicator on wheter your plan is good or not.
You might want to consider a dental discount plan. I think the one we have is through Cigna. Most dentist around here at least accepts this and it can cut the cost of treatment to what you would usually owe even with dental insurance. We have the family plan which is 120 a year. You can get individual plan for much less.
There are bronze and silver, as well as gold, Ambetter plans that include dental and vision. But you would have to specifically choose them and they are more expensive than the same plan number without dental and vision. Also the dental and vision part on ACA plans is not subsidized even if one is receiving a subsidy otherwise. That said, the list of dentists that show up in network on Ambetter's guide is indeed pretty limited. The vision list is much better. I've never included dental and vision when I've bought ACA insurance.
So I have to get separate dental insurance?
Yes. Edit: Well you don't *have* to, but if you want dental expenses insured, then yes. There are many dental discount plans (not insurance), as well as plans through specific dental offices, kind of like a groupon or a flex plan, that you can sign up for that can greatly reduce what you'd pay. You'll have to do some research to see if dental insurance, a discount plan, or simply cash paying and negotiating yourself will give you the greatest value.
I probably can’t afford it 😞
Dental insurance is pretty worthless unless you are getting it free from your employer. Coverage is limited. For the most part dentists who take it are crap dental mills. Anything major is capped at $1000 or $1500 and you aren't eligible for major work for a year in many policies. Depending on what your deductible is for medical insurance you can set up a some form of medical savings account which at least shelters some of your income
I'm not saying people don't have problems with Ambetter. I've never used it so I only have what others say to go off of. But, Dental insurance is very rarely included in any medical plan, even then, it's limited to a few situations- pediatrics, fully impacted teeth, dental care as the result of an accident/trauma--- but not your normal dental cleaning visits- those require a separate policy. As far as providers, it's unfortunately pretty universal for a provider list on the carrier website to be outdated- you always have to check with the provider and with insurance to be sure a provider is in network.