Dental Coverage for Seniors on Medicare
The question of whether Medicare provides dental coverage is a common one. And at a very high level, the answer is simply No.
Medicare doesn’t cover dental services that you need primarily for the health of your teeth. Dental services that aren’t covered under basic Medicare include dentures, filings, cleanings, tooth extractions, and routine checkups. But that isn’t to say that certain Medicare Plans won’t cover or help to defer the costs of these services.
To better understand dental care options, we first have to understand the different Medicare Plans that are available.
Medicare Plan A
Medicare Plan A, also known as Original Medicare, covers basic hospital expenses. In general, it pays for inpatient care, nursing home stays, and hospice or in-home health care. It doesn’t, however, pay for hearing aids, mobility devices, or basic dental needs. But some dental services will be covered under Part A if they’re associated with other medical procedures. For example, Medicare may cover:
- Dental services needed for radiation treatment to treat oral cancer
- Surgery to treat fractures of the jaw or face
- Dental splints and wiring after jaw surgery
- Dental surgery required from facial trauma
In general, if a hospital stay is required due to a medical procedure which happens to involve dental work, then Medicare Plan A will most likely cover the expenses associated with that visit. It’s important to note, however, that Medicare Plan A won’t cover any of the follow-up visits associated with those dental procedures.
For example, if you have a facial injury that requires a tooth extraction, Medicare will most likely pay for that procedure, but it won’t pay for any other dental care you might need later as a result of having the tooth removed.
So what basic dental coverage options are available to those on Medicare then? For that, we have to understand the Medicare Supplement Plans.
Florida Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans, also known as Florida Medigap Plans, are sold by private insurance companies and are intended to give you more complete coverage for your health care needs. Under these Plans, you can find coverage for services that are excluded from Original Medicare such as basic dental coverage.
There are several different Plans and each provides coverage for different services with varying monthly premiums. Call us today and we’ll walk you through the different Medicare Supplement Plans available. We’ll review all of the options to find a Plan that meets your needs and fits your budget.