Getting Dental Coverage Without an Employer in Bureau County
Bureau County in north-central Illinois is centered on Princeton and has an economy defined by agriculture and manufacturing — many workers buy dental coverage through an employer or on their own.
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. Whatever health plan you pick through Get Covered Illinois, adult dental coverage is a separate decision in Bureau County.
What to Look for in a Self-Employed Dental Plan in Bureau County
Five numbers decide a self-employed dental plan: premium, deductible, annual maximum, waiting periods, and whether your dentist is in the network. The annual maximum, commonly $1,000 to $2,000, is the one people overlook.
If you already need a crown, the waiting period matters more than the premium. HealthCare.gov notes that separate dental plans can have waiting periods for adults, and SecureDental PLUS, for example, waits 12 months for major care and 1 month for basic care.
The only reliable network check is the plan’s own provider directory, followed by a call to the office. Dental practices in Bureau County move in and out of networks, so do it before you enroll rather than after.
Dental Insurance as a Business Expense in Illinois
For the self-employed, dental premiums usually qualify for the self-employed health insurance deduction. It lowers income tax, not self-employment tax, is capped at the business’s net profit, and is lost for any month you could have joined an employer-subsidized plan.
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.
Stand-alone dental plans are excepted benefits under federal law, so they don’t count as minimum essential coverage and never stand in for a health plan.
Call (713) 575-9904 and Daniel will price the dental plans available at your Bureau County ZIP code and check the network for you.