Getting Dental Coverage Without an Employer in Arapahoe County
Aurora — the largest city in Arapahoe County — is one of Colorado's most diverse communities, with employers ranging from major healthcare systems to small family businesses offering very different dental benefit packages.
Working for yourself means no group dental plan to join. Under the ACA, dental care is an essential health benefit for children but not for adults. In Arapahoe County that means choosing a health plan on Connect for Health Colorado first and treating adult dental as its own purchase.
What to Look for in a Self-Employed Dental Plan in Arapahoe County
Compare dental plans on what they pay, not just what they cost: the annual maximum, the deductible, the waiting periods for basic and major work, and whether your dentist is in the network.
Check waiting periods before you buy. HealthCare.gov notes that separate dental plans can have waiting periods before they cover services for adults; on SecureDental PLUS, basic care waits 1 month and major care and orthodontia 12 months, while cleanings have no wait.
The only reliable network check is the plan’s own provider directory, followed by a call to the office. Dental practices in Arapahoe County move in and out of networks, so do it before you enroll rather than after.
Dental Insurance as a Business Expense in Colorado
If you’re self-employed, dental premiums for yourself, a spouse and dependents generally count toward the self-employed health insurance deduction, which can’t exceed your business’s net profit, isn’t available for months you could join an employer-subsidized plan, and cuts income tax but not self-employment tax.
If you own more than 2% of an S corporation, the premiums generally have to be paid or reimbursed by the company and included in your W-2 wages before you can take the deduction. A CPA can set that up.
Marketplace dental in Colorado runs through Connect for Health Colorado rather than HealthCare.gov, and it is tied to the exchange’s enrollment periods. Outside the Marketplace there is no enrollment window for stand-alone dental, and coverage usually starts the first of the next month. Put your ZIP code in the form below and Daniel will pull the dental plans sold at that address.
A stand-alone dental plan is an excepted benefit: it isn’t minimum essential coverage and doesn’t replace health insurance.
Call (713) 575-9904 and Daniel will send the dental plans sold in Arapahoe County and check your provider against each network.