Original Medicare does not cover routine dental, vision or hearing in Utah, or anywhere else for that matter. However, if you are on Medicare, you do have some options in Utah. I get asked all the time about Dental Vision and Hearing plans in Utah.
The fact of the matter is, when you are on Medicare, dental vision and hearing is a major part of your health. Let’s go over the options that are available for dental, vision and hearing plans in Utah.
If you have original Medicare, your plan is not going to cover routine dental, vision or hearing. If you want coverage for those things, you will have to buy a supplemental policy. There are some good supplemental dental, vision and hearing plans that are available in Utah.
Supplemental Dental Vision and hearing Plans
You can buy a policy individually for dental, vision and hearing or you could buy one policy that covers all them. Most of these plans are going to have your standard 6-month to 1-year waiting periods before they cover the major procedures but most will cover your routine stuff right away.
These policies usually cost around $25-$30/month depending on the policy and get more expensive as you increase your coverage amount. Most of these policies will cover you for up to $1,000-$1,500/year. A lot of these types of policies will let you go to any dentist you choose. If the dentist does not accept your plan, you can pay yourself and be reimbursed by your plan.
If you are on a tight budget, there is another option that is a lot cheaper than a standard dental insurance plan. These are discount dental plans that give you a discounted rate when you go to the dentist. You can save around $40-50% on procedures. These plans cost around $10/month but can save you thousands of dollars in dental expenses. You can check these plans out here.
Medicare advantage plans with dental, vision and hearing
If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in Utah, then more than likely you have some dental vision and hearing coverage built into the plan. Medicare Advantage plans in Utah finally got on board with adding some dental, vision and hearing coverage. The amount of coverage that these policies offer is going to vary between companies.
Dental
A lot of the plans offer only preventative dental where others offer around $1,000 per year of coverage. Some plans offer you the option of adding an extra layer of dental coverage, usually another $1,000 per year, for an extra premium per month. Some of these plans work just like regular dental insurance and others are plans where you get reimbursed.
We can show you the different medicare advantage options in Utah when it comes to dental coverage. Caution, do not select a medicare advantage plan in Utah just for the dental plan built into it. This could cause you to lose out on some other more valuable benefits.
Vision
Most Medicare Advantage plans in Utah offer some kind of vision benefit. Most plans will cover your eye exam at no cost to you, once a year. If you have cataract surgery, most plans should cover the cost of your eyewear, as this is an original Medicare benefit.
If you need glasses or contacts, most plans will cover up to a specific amount, around $200/year. Some plans will pay the provider directly and others will require you to pay and be reimbursed by your plan.
Hearing
We all know hearing aids can be very expensive. Most Medicare Advantage plans in Utah offer hearing coverage, which does include helping with the cost of hearing aids. Most Medicare Advantage plans in Utah will cover the cost of a routine hearing exam once per year.
As for hearing aids, the level of coverage is going to vary between the different Medicare Advantage plans in Utah. Some plans, you will pay a co-pay her hearing aid. Other plans, the plan will pay up to a specific amount of money. Again, some of these plans will pay the provider directly and other plans you will have to pay the provider and be reimbursed by your plan.
Know your options
The best thing you can do that will help you with dental, vision and hearing plans, is to know your options. If you want to research for hours and hours the different options available, knock yourself out! If you want to know all your options in few minutes, give us a call and we can explain your options in a clear and concise way.
Once you know all of your options available, you will be able to determine whether getting a plan with dental, vision and hearing coverage will be worth it to you.