Calls about free Medicare Dental coverage? Is this legitimate?

If you’ve turned on your TV recently or have gone to the mailbox, chances are that you’ve seen a Medicare ad one way or another.  Medicare advertising has gone to a level where it’s hard to avoid.

Some of these marketing places have gotten pretty clever in terms of getting your attention. 

One of the most recent campaigns that we’ve seen are calls about free Medicare dental.  Dental has been a huge pain point for a lot of individuals on Medicare.  Original Medicare does not cover any dental services (unless it’s medically necessary oral surgery typically for oral cancer).  On top of that, many of the individual dental plans are pretty limiting.  You’re paying approximately $40-60 a month for about $1500-2000 of coverage every year.  

So that brings us to the point, when you receive a call about free Medicare dental coverage, is it real?

Nothing comes free (although Medicare gets pretty close in some respects).  Recently, many Medicare Advantage plans have added additional dental coverage as part of their benefits.  Medicare Advantage plans are all-in-one plans where hospital, outpatient, and oftentimes prescription coverage is included.  These plans can sometimes cost just what you pay for Part B and nothing more.  We do have a large number of individuals who have Medicare Advantage and have been very happy with it.  The tradeoff of an Advantage versus a Supplement is that you may have to pay more co-pays for services and there may be a limited network depending on the plan. 

So when someone calls about free dental, they’re really talking about a Medicare Advantage plan.  If you already have a Medicare Advantage plan, chances are that you already have the “free” dental coverage.  However, if you’re on a supplement (such as a Plan F, G, or N), then switching to a Medicare Advantage plan would mean that you would have to give up your supplement coverage.  

Typically we would not recommend that someone make a decision on a plan purely based on dental without considering their medical needs.    Switching to a plan that includes dental may limit you from seeing your current doctors and result in higher co-pays if you’re not careful about the plan you select.

Always be wary when someone offers you something “free.”  The age old saying of “nothing comes for free” still holds true in the Medicare world. 

As client of Doctor’s Choice, we welcome you to refer and friends or loved ones navigating Medicare to our team by emailing help@doctorschoiceusa.com or giving us a call at 800-656-0894.