A Guide to Dental and Vision Insurance & Plans

April 9, 2018

Puneet

Health Insurance, Insurance

Taking good care of teeth and eyes is important part of overall good healthy body. So,
coverage for dental and vision under health insurance plans is very significant. Mostly health
insurance plans whether Indian or International cover costs incurred for the treatment of
accidental injury to sound teeth and vision. Some international plans also cover acute onset
of dental pain as well.

These plans do not cover cost for the following: –

Dental treatments

Preventive care – Routine dental exams and cleanings typically take place every six months
and are covered in full by most dental insurance policies.
Restorative care – This includes procedures for a less damaged or decayed teeth, for e.g.
“fillings”.
Endodontics – This includes procedures for more damaged or decayed teeth like “root
canals”.
Oral surgery – It includes teeth removal, the drainage of infections, and gum tissue biopsies.
Orthodontics – It covers installation, preservation & ejection of braces and retainers.
Periodontics – Periodontics involves the treatment of gum disease, infections, and lesions.
Prosthodontics – Fittings and installations of dentures and bridges can be expensive, and
you will need a quality insurance policy to help alleviate this cost.

Vision treatments:

Eye exams – This is a preventive care coverage, generally performed once a year and
involves a series of tests to diagnose the state of the eyes across several different
parameters such as sharpness of your vision, color blindness, squint check up, glaucoma
presence, range of peripheral vision and more.
Eyewear – Frames and contact lenses are very expensive but are often partially covered by
vision insurance. Some plans may restrict coverage to eyewear purchased through your
optometrist or a network-approved vision center. Sometimes, even prescription sunglasses
may be covered.
Lens coatings and enhancements – Some vision insurance plans can help with the cost of a
lens coating beneficial for decreasing effects of scratching, fog/moisture, reflections, and
exposure to ultraviolet rays.
Surgery – Medically required surgeries to treat an eye injury, infection, or disease, would be
covered under a Vision insurance plan. Here exclusion for cosmetic surgeries such as LASIK is
to be noted.

Cost of Dental and Vision expenses are very costly in international destinations especially in
countries like the U.S., where medical expenses are generally high. So for students going to
these countries, it can be a financial blunder if they need any of regular treatments
regarding dental and vision.

As students cannot ignore taking exclusive dental and vision insurance plans, so they are
advised to take these plans atleast for the first six months of arriving in their international
study destination. These plans can be taken along with the Health Insurance plans taken by
students either from the University or from external insurance providers. These plans can be
taken with an Annual premium of $100 -$200 depending upon the location and age of the
student.

Types of Dental and Vision Insurance plans:

HMO – Provision of a primary care physician (PCP) along with a network of physicians &
dental or medical facilities approved by your insurance provider.
PPO – Insured can visit physicians and facilities outside of the network and not just
restricted to PCP.
Indemnity plans – These plans reimburse the customer for services rendered once a claim
is submitted to the insurance provider.

There is also an alternative to the above Insurance plans to enjoy dental and Vision benefits.

  • Discount program includes the following: –
  • Payment of a monthly or yearly fee.
  • Access to a pool of discount offers
  • Choose from the selection of discounted services as needed

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