Getting Dental Coverage Without an Employer in Mchenry County
McHenry County is a suburban community north of Chicago, anchored by Crystal Lake and Woodstock — a growing exurb where many residents commute to Chicago and others work locally in small business and healthcare.
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. In Mchenry County that means choosing a health plan on Get Covered Illinois first and treating adult dental as its own purchase.
What to Look for in a Self-Employed Dental Plan in Mchenry 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.
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.
Before you choose a plan in Mchenry 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 Illinois
Self-employed? Dental premiums generally go into the self-employed health insurance deduction on Schedule 1, with the same limits as health premiums: no more than the business’s net profit, no months you were eligible for an employer-subsidized plan, and no reduction in self-employment tax.
If you own more than 2% of an S corporation, the premiums generally have to be paid or reimbursed by the company and included in your W-2 wages before you can take the deduction. A CPA can set that up.
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.
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 Mchenry County ZIP code and check the network for you.