Dental Coverage for Families in Cheyenne County
Cheyenne County on Colorado's eastern plains is one of the most sparsely populated counties in the state — ranchers, small-town residents, and agricultural workers here typically buy dental coverage on their own.
For a family, the rules differ for the kids and the parents. Under the ACA, dental care is an essential health benefit for children but not for adults. Whatever health plan you pick through Connect for Health Colorado, adult dental coverage is a separate decision in Cheyenne County.
What Family Dental Plans Cover in Cheyenne County
Under a family dental plan, each person’s claims count against their own deductible until the family cap is reached ($50 per person and $150 per family on SecureDental PLUS), and preventive care generally skips the deductible.
Braces are the most common surprise. On SecureDental PLUS they’re covered only on the Premium tier, at 70%, with a 12-month waiting period, a $500 yearly limit and a $1,500 lifetime limit, and many other plans don’t cover them at all.
Enrolling Your Family in Dental Coverage in Colorado
Connect for Health Colorado, the state-run exchange in Colorado, sells dental plans alongside its health plans during enrollment periods, and its rules decide whether dental can be added on its own. Outside the Marketplace there is no enrollment window for stand-alone dental, and coverage usually starts the first of the next month. Use the ZIP code form below and Daniel will send you the dental options for your address.
Waiting periods are the catch. On SecureDental PLUS, cleanings are covered right away, fillings after 1 month, and crowns, bridges and orthodontia after 12 months, and HealthCare.gov warns that separate dental plans in general can have waiting periods for adults.
A dental plan pays dentists, not emergency rooms. If a tooth infection or a facial injury takes you to an emergency department, that bill goes to your health insurance. In Cheyenne County, Medicare’s hospital directory lists one hospital with emergency services: Keefe Memorial Hospital. One of the county’s hospitals is a critical access hospital, the small rural facilities Medicare designates to keep emergency care close.
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 send the dental plans sold in Cheyenne County and check your family’s providers against each network.