Published by: PGIA
Dental and vision seem like crucial aspects of your health, don’t they? After all, we don’t get far without our vision, and no one wants to walk around with decaying teeth or unhealthy gums. So it might surprise you to learn that Medicare doesn’t actually consider dental and vision care to be essential services. Original Medicare doesn’t cover this type of medical care.
That might concern you, considering most of us tend to develop problems with our vision or dental health as we get older. In particular, people who never needed glasses might find themselves squinting. And even a person with perfect dental hygiene can develop cavities, gum disease, or other problems with their teeth.
So, if you plan to stick with Original Medicare, you probably need to plan for your own budget to cover dentist and optometrist visits. Budget extra for things like glasses or the occasional root canal.
Otherwise, you can investigate your options with regard to supplemental coverage. Dental and vision plans are certainly available, and you can add these to your Original Medicare plan. A Medigap plan provides another option because they’re designed to cap your out-of-pocket spending. Some Medigap plans do cover dental and vision care services.
And finally, you might be happy to learn that some Medicare Advantage plans have begun to offer dental and vision coverage. These plans must meet basic requirements set forth by Medicare but are managed by private insurance companies and organized via a network of enrolled providers. To remain competitive, some of these providers have begun to add benefits like dental and vision, or even neat perks like discounted gym memberships.
So even though Medicare doesn’t technically cover dental and vision care services, you definitely have several options to keep these things affordable for your budget! Just give us a call to walk through your options, and we’ll help you identify the plan or plans that work for you.