Dental Insurance. Dentists quit NHS forcing clients to go private
In April this year the Government is forcing dentists to accept a new pay scale and changes to their working arrangements.
Now dentists are not known as a belligerent profession, but there’s widespread disbelief amongst them at the Governments heavy-handed action. And they’re resolved not to be bullied. As a result thousands of dentists are refusing to accept the new terms and are planning to quit the NHS at the end of March.
For clients the result will be mayhem. Many asking to be treated on the NHS will simply be turned away. Those dentists who do accept the new NHS contract will have treatment waiting lists a mile long.
So, if you need emergency treatment for a broken tooth or an abscess, you’ll be forced to search out a community dental service operated by the NHS itself. For most this means a long journey to find one with hospital style waiting on arrival. Dental treatment will simply take you the whole day!
For many that leaves private dentistry as the only alternative. That means you’ll get an appointment when you want one rather than waiting for ages on the NHS. But it can be expensive. The only good news is that there are ways to keep costs manageable.
You basically have three main options: dental insurance, capitalisation schemes or cash plans. Let’s explain.
Dental Insurance
In response to the market place, there are now a growing number of insurers offering dental insurance. The following are typical examples:
Western Provident has been offering dental insurance for many years. Its Providential scheme provides a basic level of cover with fixed monthly premiums for those aged between 18 and 49 of £12.48. Premiums rise with age up to £15.90 per month for those aged 50 to 69. Policyholders have to pay the first 25% of all costs but are able to claim up to £250 per year towards routine treatment including check-ups, visits to the hygienist and fillings. You can also claim up to £1,000 per year for emergency treatment including accidental dental injury but the payout is limited to £250 per treatment.
Universal Provident offer basic insurance from £6 per month. This covers up to £1,000 per year on routine work but will not pay for check-ups. Dental emergencies are covered up to £5,000 per year and accidental damage up to £1,000.
Lots of policies also limit the number of treatments they will pay for each year. A policy from Boot’s limits claims to two check-ups, four fillings and one crown a year up to £500. Their policies cost from £9 per month.
Capitalisation Schemes
These are more expensive. Before taking up the policy, your dentist makes an assessment of your dental condition and places you in one of five treatment categories. This will determine how much you pay. The poorer your dental condition, the more you pay.
For example, Denplan’s dental care policy costs between £9 and £30 per month with, we are told, an average fee of £16.
Cash Plans
The third alternative is a composite health cash plan which includes dentistry. Health cash plans pay towards a wide range of health treatments; for example, dentistry, opticians, hospital treatment, physiotherapy, chiropody and allergy testing. The policy spells out exactly the maximum value that can be reclaimed each year for each type of health treatment and most cash plans offer three or four grades of benefit level. The more you pay, the more you can claim back. Some cash plans allow you to reclaim 100% of the cost up to the annual maximum per health category, some will only pay a percentage. For examples of cash plans visit www.hsa.co.uk and www.securehealth.co.uk and click on cash plans. Within these policies, the maximum cover for dentistry tends to be in the range of £70 to £200 per year.
Searching for a Dental Plan
As with all sorts of insurance, you’ll find it cheapest on the Internet. Search for “dental insurance” but make sure you’re using the UK variant of your search engine – otherwise you’ll come up with thousands of American web sites!
The best sites to visit are either those, which enable you to compare plans or where you can make it easier for yourself by using a specialist dental insurance broker. With these brokers, you submit your details and they’ll tell you the options and best dental policies available for you. If you do want to apply direct to an insurance company, you can still do it on the Internet - but there’s no guarantee that you’ll stumble on exactly the best policy for you amongst the many hundreds available. We recommend the broker route.
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Further reading How does Dental Insurance Work ?
Futher reading What is covered by Dental Insurance ?
