How do I get dental coverage?

Washington Apple Health & Dental
Dental is included under Washington Apple Health coverage for both adults and children. Once you’re enrolled in Apple Health, you don’t need to purchase a separate dental plan.
Learn more about Washington Apple Health dental coverage for adults and children.

 

Dental Coverage
Dental plans can cover just adults, adults and children, or children only. Anyone who is eligible and enrolls in a Qualified Health Plan is eligible to enroll in a dental plan. You’ll get to decide which household members you’d like to cover as you shop.

Households can only sign up for one dental plan. If the household is eligible for tax credits, it will only be applied to the health plan, not the dental plan.

Shopping for Dental
You can shop for dental plans the same way you pick a health plan – sort, filter, and compare options side-by-side. You can also view your total monthly costs for both health and dental before you confirm your coverage.

Pediatric Dental
Dental coverage for children is an essential health benefit, which means any child on your application who is 18 or younger is required to enroll in a dental plan.

Dental plans for children are available through Washington Healthplanfinder as family plans or as pediatric-only plans. Benefits for children don’t differ between family plans or pediatric-only plans. The only difference is that with family dental plans, all members of your household (including adults) can be covered.

Things to consider when enrolling your child in a pediatric-only dental plan:

• Pediatric-only dental plans are not necessarily cheaper than dental coverage that covers the entire family. Plans and prices are different for each insurance company. Compare your options to make sure you pick the right coverage for your family.
• If your child is eligible for Washington Apple Health, you don’t need to enroll them in a separate dental plan.
• Because dental coverage for children 18 or younger is considered an essential health benefit, an annual out-of-pocket maximum applies to any dental plan your child is enrolled in. Dental is not an essential health benefit for adults so the same annual out-of-pocket maximum does not apply.