Dental Information Center

What Is An Office Visit Co-payment, Dental Co-insurance And Plan Deductible

What is an office visit co-payment and co-insurance?

An office visit co-payment is a fixed dollar amount or a percentage that you pay for each dentist visit or for each dental service provided. For example, with some plans you may pay a fixed amount such as $5 or $10 per visit. Other plans will charge you a percentage of the total fee - or dental co-insurance -- for the visit. So if your co-payment is 10% and the dentist visit was $200, you would pay 10% which, in this case, would be $20.

What is a dental insurance deductible?

A deductible is the amount of annual dental expenses that a dental plan member must pay before the plan will begin to cover expenses. For example, if your plan has a $50 deductible, you will pay the first $50 of your dental expenses before your dental plan begins paying the expenses. Only expenses for covered services apply towards the deductible. For example, if you paid $1,000 for orthodontic work that was not an expense covered by the plan, then the $1,000 will not apply toward your annual deductible.

by Internet Dental Alliance