Getting Dental Coverage Without an Employer in Garfield County
Garfield County spans from Glenwood Springs to Rifle along the Colorado River, with an economy built on oil and gas extraction — oilfield service contractors, seasonal workers, and energy sector employees have highly variable dental benefit access.
Without an employer plan, dental coverage is something you arrange yourself. Health insurance and dental insurance are separate purchases for most adults, because adult dental isn’t an ACA essential health benefit. Whatever health plan you pick through Connect for Health Colorado, adult dental coverage is a separate decision in Garfield County.
What to Look for in a Self-Employed Dental Plan in Garfield 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 Garfield County move in and out of networks, so do it before you enroll rather than after.
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.
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 Colorado the Marketplace is Connect for Health Colorado, 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. Use the ZIP code form below and Daniel will send you the dental options for your 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 Garfield County ZIP code and check the network for you.