Dental Insurance Premiums Highest in Alaska, Lowest in West Virginia

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With more insurers selling dental insurance through government exchanges, HealthPocket examined premiums and out-of-pocket costs to determine the typical expenses facing consumers. For adults buying stand-alone dental coverage on government exchanges across the nation, HealthPocket found that the average monthly dental insurance premium was $31.81.

However, HealthPocket also found that 82% of dental plans studied charged a co-insurance fee for major dental expenses such as crowns or root canals. A co-insurance fee is a percentage of the dental expense paid out-of-pocket by the consumer. Nationwide, the average co-insurance fee for major dental services was 63%. Practically, this means that the out-of-pocket cost for a $2,000 crown is $1,260. Humana had an average coinsurance rate of 100% for major dental services.

The average dental premium differed widely among states. The state with the lowest average dental premium was West Virginia at $23.70. In contrast, Alaska had an average dental premium of $63.61. Wisconsin, the state with next highest average premium, was more than 35% less at $41.11 though it should be noted that Alaska is a low population state with a small collection of dental plan options.

When examining data across states, the insurers with the most expensive monthly premiums were:

• Delta Dental of Arizona ($44.73)
• Delta Dental Plan of South Dakota ($42.70)
• Delta Dental of Missouri ($41.36)

The three insurers with the lowest premiums were considerably less expensive:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan ($14.82)
• Humana Health Benefit Plan of Louisiana, Inc. ($16.00)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana ($18.01)

"Benefits are not standardized in dental insurance plans for adults," said Jesse Geneson, Data Researcher at HealthPocket, "Without benefit standardization, consumers need to consider benefits just as much as premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and dentist coverage."

The full results of the study along with its methodology may be read in the InfoStat "The Best and Worst Dental Insurers for Out-of-Pocket Costs."

HealthPocket.com is a free website that compares and ranks all health insurance plans available to an individual, family, or small business to allow consumers to make their best health plan decision and reduce their out of pocket costs. HealthPocket uses only objective data from government, non-profit, and private sources that carry no conditions that might restrict the site from serving as an unbiased resource. Learn more at www.HealthPocket.com.

SOURCE HealthPocket