Getting Dental Coverage Without an Employer in Larimer County
Fort Collins and Colorado State University define Larimer County, a growing city with a thriving craft brewery industry and tech sector — CSU's large adjunct and student workforce, plus many self-employed residents, buy dental coverage on their own.
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 Larimer County.
What to Look for in a Self-Employed Dental Plan in Larimer County
Compare dental plans on what they pay, not just what they cost: the annual maximum, the deductible, the waiting periods for basic and major work, and whether your dentist is in the network.
Check waiting periods before you buy. HealthCare.gov notes that separate dental plans can have waiting periods before they cover services for adults; on SecureDental PLUS, basic care waits 1 month and major care and orthodontia 12 months, while cleanings have no wait.
Before you choose a plan in Larimer County, look up your dentist in the plan’s own provider directory and call the office to confirm it is in the specific network the plan uses. Networks change, and a practice can be in one insurer’s network but not another’s.
Dental Insurance as a Business Expense in Colorado
If you’re self-employed, dental premiums for yourself, a spouse and dependents generally count toward the self-employed health insurance deduction, which can’t exceed your business’s net profit, isn’t available for months you could join an employer-subsidized plan, and cuts income tax but not 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.
Marketplace dental in Colorado runs through Connect for Health Colorado 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. Enter your ZIP code in the form below and Daniel will send you the dental plans available where you live.
Keep the category straight: dental insurance is an excepted benefit, not minimum essential coverage, so it sits alongside a health plan rather than replacing one.
Call (713) 575-9904 and Daniel will send the dental plans sold in Larimer County and check your provider against each network.