What is dental wrap-around insurance?

What is dental wrap-around insurance?

Whenever teeth are concerned, there is always a matter of money as well. Especially in the case of dental treatments because insurers only reimburse for the most basic ones and many dental services require relatively high co-pays. If one does not want to pay extra for for each dental treatment that goes beyond what is considered basic dental care, there is the option to purchase an additional insurance policy called wrap-around insurance to handle these situations.

Index

• Teeth and dental treatments can get very expensive
• What "wrap-around" means in the context of insurance
• Which services are covered?
• How much does dental "wrap-around" insurance cost?
• What else is there to look into?
• If teeth are particularly important to you, you should take dental "wrap-around" insurance into consideration

 

Teeth and dental treatments can get very expensive

The main reason why many people think about dental "wrap-around" insurance is money. Teeth and, particularly, dental implants, bridges, crowns, and other more aesthetic and more sustainable materials that are used for fillings (for example composite) as well as orthodontic devices are expensive. The costs for these services are usually not covered at all or only in part by dental insurance companies. This makes private dental insurers, which cover a large part of all dental costs, a worthwhile alternative to consider.  

What "wrap-around" means in the context of insurance

In Austria, insurance that covers only dental procedures is not really available in a stand-alone fashion. What is much more common is obtaining private insurance for additional coverage in exchange for a higher premium. This additional "wrap-around" insurance coverage is an addition to the standard governmental and any additionally purchased private insurance coverage. Thereby, a patient can ultimately build up insurance coverage not only for his or her teeth but also for his entire health status as well as for any hospital stays. Whenever a patient buys a private insurance policy, an additional "wrap-around" policy is always another option – most of the time in many different variations.

Which services are covered?

Dental "wrap-around" insurance comes in many different forms. What is important is that, on the contrary to governmental insurance, it covers significantly more services. This is how orthodontic procedures, better materials for fillings, crowns, and bridges are also covered just as are professional dental cleanings and other prophylactic measures – if one has the optimal dental "wrap-around" coverage. This is because services vary by insurance company and by the exact policy purchased. Also, the costs that are reimbursed can be vastly different: up to 80% of cost reimbursements are possible (versus roughly 50% for insurance policies with lower premiums) and the remainder must be covered by the patient out of his own pocket. This varies very strongly from insurer to insurer which makes obtaining reliable information that much more important to get the right insurance policy. All in all, "wrap-around" insurance may cost more, yet it also covers a higher percentage of treatment costs.

How much does dental "wrap-around" insurance cost?

This is a difficult question to which there is no clear-cut answer because, in most cases in which a patient already has private insurance (e.g., either because he wants to go see higher-quality dentists of choice or because he would like to get first-class treatment in a hospital), his out-of-pocket costs for dental treatments are already relatively limited. With that said, such a combination of insurance policies usually costs well over EUR 100 per month and, in some cases, approaches EUR 200 per month given that the insurance policy combination in question includes governmental and private insurances. And even for people who have both insurance types, not the entire costs of their dental procedures are covered (only 50-80%, as already mentioned). For a brief overview of dental treatment costs and orientation prices, you can click HERE. 

What else is there to look into?

Since insurance policies are often individually fitted in an effort to minimize fraud, there are several other topics to mention here: 

• Blocking Period: Whenever you purchase "wrap-around" insurance, you have to face so-called blocking periods in which you as patient do not have the right to undergo expensive procedures and then have them reimbursed by your new insurance policy. So, in other words, it is not possible to purchase your insurance policy on a Monday and to then undergo an expensive dental treatment on Tuesday for which the policy will pay. In cases when you have already received a treatment recommendation by your dentist, you do not need to purchase an additional "wrap-around" policy. The waiting time for a new policy to kick in usually takes 6 months, yet it can vary from policy to policy.  
• Cost Limits: To limit costs, some policies have co-pays as well as upper cost limits built in while others limit the scope of services that is offered.
• Patient Age: Age and health status also play a role because insurers assume that people at higher ages also suffer from a higher number of health conditions that will make it that much more likely that they will consume more dental care services. Thus, this higher likelihood is also included in the calculation of premiums. 

Dental "wrap-around" insurance helps you even in tough and expensive cases

 

If teeth are particularly important to you, you should take dental "wrap-around" insurance into consideration

While it is clear that not everyone will need a dental "wrap-around" insurance policy, it is still important to remember that to lastingly restore a pretty smile, dental implants, crowns, and bridges are necessary for which insurers do not pay.  

Orthodontic procedures are often only covered by private insurance policies. Also, it is possible that the dentist of your trust may only accept private insurance. Thus, if you would like to stop worrying about whether a certain dental treatment is covered or not, a dental "wrap-around" policy can be a good investment.

We recommend that you obtain sufficient information ahead of time to compare different offers to each other because different policies may be suitable for different people. 

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