Why 1099 Workers in La Plata County Need Standalone Dental Coverage
Durango and Fort Lewis College anchor La Plata County, a scenic mountain community blending outdoor recreation, tourism, and a growing professional class — many residents are self-employed or work for small local businesses without employer dental plans.
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. Whatever health plan you pick through Connect for Health Colorado, adult dental coverage is a separate decision in La Plata County.
DPPO vs. DHMO: Choosing the Right Dental Plan in La Plata County
Dental PPOs let you see any licensed dentist and pay more when the office is in-network. Dental HMOs trade that freedom for a lower premium and a closed network. For most people in La Plata County the deciding question is simply whether their dentist is in the network.
Self-employed people who travel or change towns tend to prefer a dental PPO, which still pays out of network. If you’re settled in La Plata County and a network dentist suits you, an HMO’s lower premium may be worth it.
The only reliable network check is the plan’s own provider directory, followed by a call to the office. Dental practices in La Plata County move in and out of networks, so do it before you enroll rather than after.
Dental Insurance and the Self-Employed Tax Deduction in Colorado
For the self-employed, dental premiums usually qualify for the self-employed health insurance deduction. It lowers income tax, not self-employment tax, is capped at the business’s net profit, and is lost for any month you could have joined an employer-subsidized plan.
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.
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 La Plata County, Medicare’s hospital directory shows two hospitals with emergency departments, among them Animas Surgical Hospital, LLC and Mercy Regional Medical Center.
Call (713) 575-9904 and Daniel will send the dental plans sold in La Plata County and check your provider against each network.