Dental Coverage for Families in Jo Daviess County
Jo Daviess County in far northwestern Illinois draws visitors to historic Galena — a mix of tourism, agriculture, and small business where many residents are self-employed or work seasonally without employer dental benefits.
For a family, the rules differ for the kids and the parents. Adult dental care isn’t an essential health benefit under the ACA, so a health plan in Illinois doesn’t have to include it. Jo Daviess County residents shop for health plans on Get Covered Illinois, and adult dental still has to be bought separately.
What Family Dental Plans Cover in Jo Daviess 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 Illinois
Marketplace dental in Illinois runs through Get Covered Illinois rather than HealthCare.gov, and it is tied to the exchange’s 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.
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. Medicare’s hospital directory shows a single emergency department in Jo Daviess County, at Midwest Medical Center. One of the county’s hospitals is a critical access hospital, the small rural facilities Medicare designates to keep emergency care close.
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 Jo Daviess County ZIP code and check the network for your family.