If you’re looking for dental coverage, you have probably come across all sorts of
new terms. One of the most common terms you will see in you dental insurance
search is "dental PPO".
But what exactly does it mean? And how does it help you?
"PPO" stands for "Preferred Provider Organization". If you have a dental
PPO plan, your insurance company will give you a list of dentists that you can go see.
As long as you choose one of the dentists on this list, your visit will be covered.
If you go to a dentist that’s not on the list, you will likely have to foot the bill
all by yourself.
However, there are usually tons of dentists on the list, so you are free to pick
any one that you want. In fact, if you get dental coverage with a large company,
chances are high that your current dentist is already on their list!
For a dentist, being part of a dental PPO is a good thing. After all, by being on
the preferred list, dentists get a whole lot more business than they could have ever
gotten on their own. As a result, many dentists will offer insurance companies
reduced rates in exchange for being on the list.
What does that mean for you?
It means that you might be able to pay less for your
dental coverage. If your insurance company
is negotiating special rates and discounts with dentists, then it reduces the amount
of money that they’re paying out every time one of their policyholders goes to the dentist.
As a result, they may pass their savings onto you – meaning you might wind up with a cheaper
dental plan.