Getting Dental Coverage Without an Employer in Bond County
Bond County is a small rural community in southern Illinois, centered on Greenville and Greenville University — many residents work in agriculture, small retail, or commute to larger nearby cities and buy dental coverage on their own.
No employer means no one else picks your dental plan. Health insurance and dental insurance are separate purchases for most adults, because adult dental isn’t an ACA essential health benefit. Bond County residents shop for health plans on Get Covered Illinois, and adult dental still has to be bought separately.
What to Look for in a Self-Employed Dental Plan in Bond 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 Bond County move in and out of networks, so do it before you enroll rather than after.
Dental Insurance as a Business Expense in Illinois
Self-employed? Dental premiums generally go into the self-employed health insurance deduction on Schedule 1, with the same limits as health premiums: no more than the business’s net profit, no months you were eligible for an employer-subsidized plan, and no reduction in self-employment tax.
S corporation owners with more than 2% of the company can still take the deduction, but only after the corporation pays or reimburses the premiums and includes them in the owner’s W-2 wages.
In Illinois the Marketplace is Get Covered Illinois, which offers dental plans next to its health plans during Open Enrollment and special enrollment periods. A stand-alone dental plan bought outside the Marketplace can start in any month, usually on the first of the following 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 Bond County and check your provider against each network.