Group Dental Insurance for Small Business

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) a small business is generally not required to offer dental insurance to its employees. Even if offering dental benefits isn’t a requirement for your business, you may still want to consider buying a dental plan for your employees.

Surveys have shown that many workers value benefits like health and dental insurance more than a pay raise. By offering group dental insurance to your employees, you may find it easier to hire and retain the best workers for your small business.

If you meet certain standards (employing less than 25 full-time workers, average wages less than $50,000, and paying at least 50% of premiums) you could also qualify for a small business tax credit to help pay for your employees’ dental premiums.

In order to qualify for group dental insurance, you need to meet a few standards:

• You must be able to provide documented proof of being a legitimate business entity (e.g. articles of incorporation/organization, business license)
• Your small business must consist of one full-time employee besides yourself or a spouse (and they must be choosing to enroll in the group dental plan)
• You must be capable of meeting the minimum employer contribution set by the insurance company

This list should be used only as a general guideline for group dental insurance eligibility, so consult your own tax, accounting, or legal advisor instead of relying on this article as tax, accounting, or legal advice.

Buying group dental insurance through eHealth does not come at any extra cost to you. If you buy a dental plan through eHealth, you will pay the regular monthly premium set by the insurance company, and it will be the same price for that plan on their website as ours.

Using a web-based entity like eHealth, you will find a wide selection of dental plans from different companies, free quotes, and assistance from licensed agents. If you have any questions about your small business’ eligibility or what type of dental plans are available, visit eHealth.com to compare plans, or call a licensed representative Mon-Fri, 9AM - 7PM EST at 1-877-456-6670.

You have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to group dental insurance plans. Since you are buying for a small business, you may want to offer more than one type of plan. The main plans are:

• Dental Preferred Provider Organizations (DPPOs) - Dental PPOs usually offer a good amount of flexibility in terms of allowing group members to choose dentists and dental specialists. The premiums are often higher, but if group members choose a primary dentists from within the network, rates for office visits are usually low, or even fully covered.
• Dental Health Maintenance Organizations (DHMOs) - This type of dental insurance is often cheaper than DPPO plans, because it has more restrictions about staying within the network. You usually need to choose a primary dentist off a pre-approved list, and all referrals to dental specialist must come from the primary dentist. Premiums are often lower with this dental insurance plan.
• Indemnity Plans (Fee-for-Service) - With this plan, you pay dentists directly for services, and then get reimbursed for some or all of the cost by the dental insurance company.
• Dental Savings Plans (non-insurance products) - This affordable way to get access to dental care has no deductible to meet or out-of-pocket maximum. Although technically not a dental insurance product, this plan provides individuals or groups with reduced fees for dental services, in exchange for a low annual membership fee.

You can offer dental as an add-on to your health insurance plan. With add-ons like dental, you can build a total benefits package for yourself and your employees, without making things complicated.