Why 1099 Workers in Washington County Need Standalone Dental Coverage
Washington County in southern Illinois is a small agricultural community centered on Nashville — many 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. Washington County residents shop for health plans on Get Covered Illinois, and adult dental still has to be bought separately.
DPPO vs. DHMO: Choosing the Right Dental Plan in Washington County
The first choice is PPO or HMO. A dental HMO usually has the lower premium but only pays network dentists, often through an assigned office; a dental PPO still pays something out of network, which matters if your current dentist isn’t in any HMO near Washington County.
If your work keeps you on the road, a dental PPO’s out-of-network benefit is worth paying for; if you rarely leave Washington County and like a network dentist, a dental HMO keeps the premium down.
Before you choose a plan in Washington 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 and the Self-Employed Tax Deduction 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.
Serious dental emergencies, such as spreading infection or a broken jaw, are usually treated in a hospital and billed to health insurance rather than the dental plan. In Washington County, Medicare’s hospital directory lists one hospital with emergency services: Washington County Hospital. One of the county’s hospitals is a critical access hospital, the small rural facilities Medicare designates to keep emergency care close.
Call (713) 575-9904 and Daniel will price the dental plans available at your Washington County ZIP code and check the network for you.