Dental Coverage for Christian County Families
Christian County in central Illinois is a coal-heritage and agricultural community centered on Taylorville — many residents 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 Get Covered Illinois, adult dental coverage is a separate decision in Christian County.
Adult Dental vs. Pediatric Dental in Christian County
Kids 18 and under have a guarantee parents don’t: with Marketplace coverage, dental must be available for them, built into the health plan or offered as a separate dental plan. Check what your Get Covered Illinois plan already includes for the children before you buy a separate plan for them.
A family dental plan covers each enrolled person under one policy, with the same preventive, basic and major classes of care as an individual plan. Deductibles usually apply per person with a family cap: $50 a person up to $150 a family on SecureDental PLUS.
Choosing a Family Dental Plan in Christian County
Before you choose a plan in Christian County, look up each family member’s dentist in the plan’s own provider directory and call the office to confirm it is in the specific network the plan uses. Networks change, and a practice can be in one insurer’s network but not another’s.
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.
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.
Know where the line sits: a dental plan covers care in a dentist’s chair, while an emergency department visit for a dental abscess or a jaw injury is a health insurance claim. Taylorville Memorial Hospital is one of the 2 hospitals with emergency services that Medicare lists in Christian County; check which of them your health plan includes. Two of the county’s hospitals are critical access hospitals, the small rural facilities Medicare designates to keep emergency care close.
Call (713) 575-9904 to compare family dental plans for your address in Christian County, with the network checked before you apply.