Getting Dental Coverage Without an Employer in Conejos County
Conejos County in the San Luis Valley is one of Colorado's most rural communities — a predominantly agricultural region where many residents buy dental coverage on their own, as employer dental plans are rarely offered.
No employer means no one else picks your dental plan. Under the ACA, dental care is an essential health benefit for children but not for adults. Conejos County residents shop for health plans on Connect for Health Colorado, and adult dental still has to be bought separately.
What to Look for in a Self-Employed Dental Plan in Conejos 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.
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.
No website can reliably tell you which dentists in Conejos County take a particular plan. Offices join and leave networks, so search the plan’s provider directory by the dentist’s name and ZIP code, then call the office to confirm.
Dental Insurance as a Business Expense in Colorado
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.
More-than-2% S corporation shareholders follow a different route: the company pays or reimburses the premiums and reports them in W-2 wages, and the deduction is then taken personally. Ask your CPA to set it 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. Off the Marketplace, a stand-alone dental plan isn’t tied to Open Enrollment at all. Use the ZIP code form below and Daniel will send you the dental options for your 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 to compare dental plans for your address in Conejos County, with the network checked before you apply.