Beware AARP Dentegra Dental definitions of words in your Cert. of Coverage

[s183685s]

AARP sent me a letter saying my Dentegra Propel plan was renewing 1 Dec 2025 into the 2nd year .

That did not mean I was actually IN MY SECOND YEAR as of 1 Dec 2025, where prices decrease for dental services.  "Renewal" meant that ALL services renew on 1 Jan or the next year (1 Jan 2026), called "Calendar year". This point was NOT mentioned in the AARP letter, nor in the Cert. of Coverage that Dentegra provides the Enrollee.

Due to these omissions, I did not earn the benefits promised in the 2nd year of membership in Dentegra. Requesting clarification of terms does no good thru Dentegra customer service. Dentegra sends you more LEGAL gobbelygook, via email.

The NYT recommends negotiation with dentists b/c ALL dental plans are VERY costly and cover little. Dental Ins. plans are NOT like other types of medical insurance.

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/well/live/dental-insurance-problems.html?searchResultPosition=4

[TRL1111]

Here's a non-paywalled link to the article:

https://archive.md/52UZ2 

Among people who actually look at what dental plans offer, the opinion is usually that they're not worth it.  As the article says, they're discount plans, not insurance.  

I'm disheartened that dental plans are offered on the ACA Exchange where you buy health insurance.  Most people on the Exchange qualify for subsidies for their health plan, and they can take advantage of the subsidy only if they buy their health insurance plan on the Exchange.  But subsidies don't apply to the dental plans offered there, so it's no different from buying it directly from the company, or from an insurance agent.  Neither of which is likely to tell you that it's usually not a financially wise decision to have dental insurance, but having them on the Exchange could lead someone to believe it's just as important to have dental insurance as it is to have health insurance, and that couldn't be further from the truth.

I'm actually not anti-dental insurance.  What I'm opposed to is people buying a product that they don't understand how it works.  I feel the same way about indemnity plans for healthcare costs--they can have their place in certain situations, but they are NOT health insurance and a whole lot of people out there have them and don't know that.

[s183685s]

My experience with AARP products and the insurance plans they sell use of the AARP logo to, is that AARP doesn't care about the fine print used in these insurance offerings, which is obscure, and not coherent in their "cert of coverage" booklet.

Dentegra can't put everything on a single page, or several pages in succession, in an EOB, printable statement. A user with a computer has to click on SEVERAL links to cobble together a personal EOB (Explanation of Benefits statement). The Dentegra chatbots said I had to "file a grievance" if i wanted to get a coherent, one-page EOB that didn't require me to click on a bunch of different icons on their EOB info page.

I didn't bother with the "grievance", but i may complain to the Virginia State Corp Commission about how Dentegra does business in Va. 

[GailL1]

@TRL1111 

I have never in my life had dental insurance - I can’t remember the last time I had anything done other than cleanings and X-rays.  I have 2- cleanings per year at the periodontal office and then 1- at my regular dentist who is also a prosthodontist.  

I pay $ 260 for a cleaning at the periodontist and $ 225 at the dentist (prosthedontist).  

@TRL1111 wrote . . . . 

I'm actually not anti-dental insurance.  What I'm opposed to is people buying a product that they don't understand how it works.  I feel the same way about indemnity plans for healthcare costs--they can have their place in certain situations, but they are NOT health insurance and a whole lot of people out there have them and don't know that.

=================

Amen to that - although I think most of the folks I know that have indemnity plans know what they are and what they are not - and have them in addition to whatever else they have - their reasons are several - Somebody that has lots of cancer in their family may feel better having that Cancer policy and have had them for a very long time.

Are they worth it to some - yes, maybe since it pays in addition to the health coverage and bills don’t stop just because one gets ill.  

When my husband and I were self employed, we had an indemnity policy that covered each of us for any accidents since we traveled extensively at that time - course we also disability insurance (private kind) cause you just never know, so prepare wisely.

This was all in addition to our individual  health insurance policy. 

[CBtoo]

I konw that some medicare agents sell indemnity plans when someone is on an advantage plan and will have huge out of pockets if they ever use their plan very often. This indemnity plan is then "insurance" for the high out of pocket max that advantage plans have. The justification used is usually that together the indemnity premium, B if you have to pay for it on the advantage plan, the advantage plan max out of pocket and any advantage plan premium is less than B+supp+D. Of course that ignores the network issues advantage plans can have.

[s183685s]

to @GailL1Wait until you need molar crown...the price quote i got was $1,750 w/o insurance.

What if a resin filling breaks? That s $395 including xray, to fix. Dentists and their allied hygienists make a HARD sell for resin fillings, but they don't last very long for some people. I've had several that have broken down after a few years.  I do not grind my teeth at nite. The "heavy metal mercury in amalgams is bad" is the argument they use. The NYT article points out that some dentists have figured out how to game the insurance game. They simply raise their prices. The dentist I use drives a Tesla truck... other than that he seems competent. I will not let him replace my 60 year old small amalgams b/c they are still robust.

[CBtoo]

Agreed. I needed an implant. 11 years ago that was (from memory) $3800 with no dental insurance. Then if you add a dental plan many have a waiting period until you get full benefits (to prevent people from having a plan only when they need it).

Another alternative is using a dental school. I use one and the prices are way cheaper. Of course bad things can happen too. I had a student dentist crack a filling he put in by grinding too much off. Sure they replaced it for free but you lose more tooth each time you replace a filling. On the other hand that is the only "bad" thing that has happened so far in multiple years of using them.