Dental Coverage for Families in Howard County
Howard County's Columbia planned community is home to major federal contractors and tech firms between Baltimore and Washington — consistently one of the highest-income counties in the nation, with many self-employed and contract workers who buy dental and vision coverage on their own.
Covering a household means covering two groups the ACA treats differently. 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 Maryland Health Connection, adult dental coverage is a separate decision in Howard County.
What Family Dental Plans Cover in Howard County
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.
If braces are likely, read the orthodontia terms first: plenty of dental plans leave them out, and SecureDental PLUS limits them to the Premium tier, paying 70% after 12 months up to $500 a year and $1,500 over a lifetime.
Enrolling Your Family in Dental Coverage in Maryland
Marketplace dental in Maryland runs through Maryland Health Connection rather than HealthCare.gov, and it is tied to the exchange’s 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.
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 Howard County, Medicare’s hospital directory lists one hospital with emergency services: Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center.
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 and Daniel will price the dental plans available at your Howard County ZIP code and check the network for your family.