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Dental Highlights
A bright white smile is important for your bubblegum card. The city offers you two affordable options to help keep your mouth healthy. After three years of no rate changes, both plan contributions will increase slightly.
DHMO
A dental health-maintenance organization is a network of dentists, like an HMO, that offers a comprehensive range of dental services for fixed copayments. You choose a primary-care dentist who coordinates your care and refers you to specialists. You must live in the service area to enroll. The DHMO is provided by National Pacific Dental.
Features of the DHMO include:
- No maximum annual limit on dental services
- No deductibles
- No claim forms to complete for most procedures
- A fixed copayment for dental services
- A network that includes dentists and orthodontists
View a complete list of DHMO benefits and copayments
Dental-indemnity plan
A dental-indemnity plan is a traditional plan that lets you receive a comprehensive range of dental services from the provider of your choice anywhere in the United States. You pay a percentage of charges for certain services and file a claim for reimbursement. The plan is provided by United Healthcare Inc.
How you use the plan:
- Make an appointment with the dentist of your choice.
- If the treatment will cost more than $200, get an estimate.
- Get a claim form from the Human Resources benefits division.
- Pay the dentist. Some dentists only require patients to pay their portion.
- File a claim for reimbursement within 90 days of the date of service. Some dentists will file your claim for you.
- Mail the claim to:
- UnitedHealthcare Dental
Attn: Claims Division
P.O. Box 30567
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0567
- Reimbursement is made by mail, usually within 10 days.
- To check on the status of a claim, call 866-605-2599.
For a complete list of services, refer to the City of Houston Dental Indemnity Plan brochure.
In-network preferred dentist option
If you are enrolled in the dental-indemnity plan, you can reduce your out-of-pocket costs by using a preferred dentist. If you receive care from a preferred dentist or network of dental providers, you will receive a discount on your services and have more money in your pocket.
As you can see in the chart below, if you use a preferred dentist, you will realize a considerable savings. The more costly the dental work, such as bridges or dentures, the more savings you will realize. Also, because all fees are reduced, you will receive more services before you reach the $1,500 annual maximum benefit.
Example savings using a
preferred dentist |
Plan |
Usual cost |
50%
coinsurance |
Out-of-network |
$875 |
$437.50 |
In-network |
$701 |
$350.50 |
Your savings |
$87 |
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