Dental Highlights
No news is good news. Your dental rates and benefits remain the same for May 2007. In fact, they won’t change again for two more years — until May 1, 2009.

United Healthcare, Inc. provides the dental indemnity plan and National Pacific Dental provides the DHMO plan.

See the contribution charts and a comparison of plan features.

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. Click here to see a comparison of the copayment schedule.

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, and
• A network that includes dentists and orthodontists.

Counties in the DHMO:

Anderson, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Carson, Chambers, Collin, Dallas, Deaf Smith, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gray, Grayson, Grimes, Harris, Harrison, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Hutchinson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, Liberty, Montgomery, Moore, Nacogdoches, Orange, Parker, Potter, Randall, Rockwall, Tarrant, Walker, Waller

See the dental plan rates for employees

See the dental plan rates for retirees

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.

To use the plan:

• Make an appointment with the dentist of your choice.
• If the treatment will cost more than $200, get a cost estimate.
• Pay the dentist. Some dentists require patients to pay only their portion.
• File a claim for reimbursement within 90 days. Some dentists will file your claim for you.

The comparison chart of plan features illustrates some services provided under the dental indemnity and DHMO plans. For a complete list of services provided under this plan, 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 a network of dental providers, you will receive a discount on your dental 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 $1,000 annual maximum benefit.

The city’s In-network Preferred Dentist Option brochure provides information about this feature as well as a list of preferred dentists in the network. Ask your department human resources liaison for a brochure.