Dental Coverage for Families in Hall County
Gainesville anchors Hall County's poultry processing industry — a major chicken capital of the world — where a large workforce of processing plant workers and a growing Latino population often lack employer dental benefits and purchase standalone coverage.
Covering a household means covering two groups the ACA treats differently. Adult dental care isn’t an essential health benefit under the ACA, so a health plan in Georgia doesn’t have to include it. Hall County residents shop for health plans on Georgia Access, and adult dental still has to be bought separately.
What Family Dental Plans Cover in Hall 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.
Orthodontia is where family plans differ most. Many exclude braces or cover them only on higher tiers; SecureDental PLUS covers orthodontia only on its Premium tier, at 70% after a 12-month wait, up to $500 a year and $1,500 lifetime.
Enrolling Your Family in Dental Coverage in Georgia
In Georgia the Marketplace is Georgia Access, which offers dental plans next to its health plans during Open Enrollment and special enrollment periods. Outside the Marketplace there is no enrollment window for stand-alone dental, and coverage usually starts the first of the next month. Enter your ZIP code in the form below and Daniel will send you the dental plans available where you live.
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.
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. In Hall County, Medicare’s hospital directory lists one hospital with emergency services: Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
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 Hall County ZIP code and check the network for your family.