Getting Dental Coverage Without an Employer in Morgan County
Morgan County in west-central Illinois is anchored by Jacksonville, a small city with healthcare, retail, and agriculture as primary employers — many residents buy dental coverage through an employer or on their own.
Without an employer plan, dental coverage is something you arrange yourself. Adult dental care isn’t an essential health benefit under the ACA, so a health plan in Illinois doesn’t have to include it. Whatever health plan you pick through Get Covered Illinois, adult dental coverage is a separate decision in Morgan County.
What to Look for in a Self-Employed Dental Plan in Morgan County
When you compare stand-alone dental plans on your own, look at five things: the premium, whether your dentist is in the network, the deductible, the annual maximum and the waiting periods for basic and major care.
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.
Before you choose a plan in Morgan 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
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.
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.
In Illinois the Marketplace is Get Covered Illinois, which offers dental plans next to its health plans during Open Enrollment and special enrollment periods. Off the Marketplace, a stand-alone dental plan isn’t tied to Open Enrollment at all. 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 send the dental plans sold in Morgan County and check your provider against each network.