Baby health insurance

[Brie]

I'm looking at the enrollment forms for health insurance for the baby after he's born. Adding the kid to our dental plan is an additional $20/month and adding him to vision will be an additional $8/month.

At what point will the baby need dental/vision insurance? Is that something you get right away or can it wait until the kid, you know, has teeth?

[Deleted]

My dentist doesn't want to see DS until he can follow directions enough to open his mouth and not bite. I'd guess around 2 we'll try his first appointment. He hasn't had his eyes checked - similarly, we'll wait until he has some communication skills (2-3). Of course, we haven't had any issues, but I think that's typical.

[karinothing]

I forgot to add the kid to dental/vision when he was born, smart right? So, he won't be getting on it until open season (when he is a year old). We haven't needed it yet and I figured any dental/vision problems he had before one would be covered under our normal health care (since they would be abnormal issues). If that makes sense.

[catbus]

I'm not adding him to a dental plan until he's a year or so old. My benefits administrator made that recommendation. He said most people add dental to their kids' plans around 18 months, I believe.
I think for my insurance, vision is lumped in with medical, so I don't have to worry about when to add that... I'd want it effective from birth, though.

[barefootcontessa]

We put our kids on dental right away in case the have an accident and need to be evaluated by a dentist. Our vision coverage is not great anyway so we skipped that. If the child has a medical problem that creates vision issues, our medical plan would cover seeing an opthamologist.

[ijack]

dental you won't need. E multiple eye exams before she turned 1, but it was because she was a preemie.

[Deleted]

I haven't added DS to either yet. i likely will put him on the dental plan when I re-enroll in Oct but probably not vision. I think it might be easier/cheaper to pay for an eye exam out of pocket every other year vs paying for insurance for the next 5 years.

[Deleted]

DD is 2.5 but I have not added her into our dental insurance. It's only $5 I think but I was told by my dentist and H's dentist to wait setting up an appointment until 3. I can add DD anytime though. My dental insurance allows for me to add her anytime within 3yrs. After 3, I can only add her at enrollment time.

[barefootcontessa]

I am surprised to hear so many conflicting reports about the dentist. I just took my four year for the first time and he has a bunch of cavities. Dentist says she likes to start seeing patients at one year, so I will be bringing my other boys in ASAP. I never would have thought it was that important until they start getting permanent teeth. I learned the hard way I was wrong.

[galaxy8227]

I haven't added DS to either yet. Our dentist doesn't normally see them til they are 3 (unless there are issues). Never even thought about vision yet

[Brie]

If I don't enroll him at birth, the next enrollment period will be when he's about 15 months old, if that changes anything.

[Deleted]

Aug 28, 2012 12:46:38 GMT -5 barefootcontessa said:

I am surprised to hear so many conflicting reports about the dentist. I just took my four year for the first time and he has a bunch of cavities. Dentist says she likes to start seeing patients at one year, so I will be bringing my other boys in ASAP. I never would have thought it was that important until they start getting permanent teeth. I learned the hard way I was wrong.

I don't know how my dentist could do anything for my 15 month old without sedation. We brush his teeth, but I feel like that's about all we can do.

I had bad enough cavities at 4.5 they DID sedate me. Knocked me out and did all the work at once.

[karinothing]

Aug 28, 2012 12:46:38 GMT -5 barefootcontessa said:

I am surprised to hear so many conflicting reports about the dentist. I just took my four year for the first time and he has a bunch of cavities. Dentist says she likes to start seeing patients at one year, so I will be bringing my other boys in ASAP. I never would have thought it was that important until they start getting permanent teeth. I learned the hard way I was wrong.

I think the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists says to bring them to their first appointment by their first tooth (or at the most, by their first birthday). www.colgate.com/app/CP/US/EN/OC/Information/Articles/Oral-and-Dental-Health-at-Any-Age/Infants-and-Children/Toddler-Child-Transitional-Care/article/Your-Childs-First-Dental-Visit.cvsp

[ijack]

our ped and dentist recommend kids going to the dentist starting at 2.

[kittycatlove]

our pedi and dentist recommend 2yrs as well, but more of an appointment to get them used to the idea. FTR we haven't added DS yet who is almost 17 months. If I decide to add him it will have to be at open enrollment this year end so that he is covered for his 2 year appt.

ETA: we don't have vision

[evynsmama]

I'd wait until the open enrollment at or near your child's fisrt birthday to add them to dental and then I wouldn't add them to vision until they are closer to school age unless then need for glasses arises sooner. Also check to see if your medical plan covers and annual eye exam in that case the vision insurance would only be for glasses and contacts anyway.

[barefootcontessa]

Aug 28, 2012 12:49:59 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

Aug 28, 2012 12:46:38 GMT -5 barefootcontessa said:

I am surprised to hear so many conflicting reports about the dentist. I just took my four year for the first time and he has a bunch of cavities. Dentist says she likes to start seeing patients at one year, so I will be bringing my other boys in ASAP. I never would have thought it was that important until they start getting permanent teeth. I learned the hard way I was wrong.

I don't know how my dentist could do anything for my 15 month old without sedation. We brush his teeth, but I feel like that's about all we can do.

I had bad enough cavities at 4.5 they DID sedate me. Knocked me out and did all the work at once.

This is what we are going to have to do also. Insurance will not cover sedation and it will be $600. I really do not know how else you get a 4 year to cooperate having his teeth drilled. I honestly never thought you would need to fill baby teeth but I have since learned the tooth can decay enough to create an infection in the mouth.

[Ashley&Scott]

We added him to dental right away but it was only an extra $5/mo.

We haven't added him to vision yet, we'll probably do it next year...maybe this year if it's really cheap, I should check.

[lmb5109]

Medical/dental/vision is all lumped into one for DH's insurance so DD will have it right away

[rootbeerfloat]

We added DS to our dental between 1 and 2, though he didn't go until he was 3. Since it was a family plan, DD was already included, and she had her first appointment around 18m.

I haven't added either of them to our vision, but it's not great anyway.

[mrssandro]

We did dental at two years. She will be going for the first time when she goes for her 3 year check up.

[dcrunnergirl]

We added them when they were born b/c you just never can be sure nothing will happen or turn up. And, we took them to the dentist around 18 months. Our pedi's rec is to start taking them between 12-18 months.

[anna7602]

We took DD to the dentist for the first time when she was just shy of her 3rd birthday. I probably could have done it sooner, but since I had to make the appointment 6 months in advance, I waited until I felt she was ready.

[Redpoppy]

DS has seen the ophthalmologist for a wandering eye and an atypical case of conjunctivitis (6 visits on that, ugh). The ones for his eye not tracking were $600+ each, but they were covered under medical instead of vision. I think many reasons for going for vision appointments at a young age would fall under medical and our vision doesn't cover glasses anyways. They automatically added him to both when he was born.

ETA: At his 4 year checkup they did a vision and hearing screening.

[Deleted]

We had to have dental for him since he saw his first dentist at a month old. Our insurance is all together and you can't add one and not the other. So he would have been on it anyways.

[whitemerlot]

My doctor and dentist both said age 3. We will add our kids this year at open enrollment and take my son just after 3.

[aspentosh]

I added her to both when she was born because it wasn't a huge increase in price. She is 7mo old and hasn't needed either, so it probably wasn't necessary.