Started in 1965, Medicare programs have been providing affordable medical care to seniors. Funded by the federal government, Medicare made healthcare accessible to senior citizens who found it difficult to pay for their medical expenses with their fixed post-retirement income. With a major proportion of baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) turning 65, it is estimated that nearly 64 million people will enroll in Medicare by 2020. However, this number also includes people below the age of 65 years. Younger people who have a permanent disability, or end-stage renal disease, or cognitive impairments are also eligible for Medicare benefits.
Medicare benefits include hospital insurance and coverage for outpatient care, doctors’ services, preventive services, and medical supplies, based on certain terms and conditions. All these are covered under basic Medicare plans known as Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B. Medicare Part D covers the cost of prescription drugs. However, this is not included in the basic plan and a person has to enroll separately for Part D. Also, none of these plans cover dental care. If you are looking for affordable dental care through Medicare, you can enroll for Medicare Part C. Part C is offered by private insurance providers that have contracts with Medicare. Also known as Medicare Advantage Plans, these cover all the benefits of Part A, Part B, and Part D along with additional services that include vision, dental, hearing, and wellness. If you are looking for top Medicare dental plans, you can enroll for Medicare Advantage or Part C. Here are some of the private insurers that have been known to offer the top Medicare dental plans.
Aetna Medicare Dental Plan
Aetna does not have a separate plan specifically for dental care. The Medicare Advantage Plan from Aetna covers routine dental care along with vision, hearing, and prescription drug coverage. Routine dental care includes oral examinations in a dentist’s office, dental X-rays (inclusive of panoramic and bitewing views), pulp vitality tests, and oral hygiene consultations. The cost of cleaning, scaling, and polishing the teeth is also included. Other services include bite adjustments, fillings and restorations, denture adjustments, non-surgical extractions, and minor periodontic scalings and root planings. It is important to note that not all of these services will be offered by all Aetna Medicare dental plans, and services may differ from place to place.
Delta Medicare Dental Plan
Delta Dental offers Dental Advantage plan through Sharp Health Plan Medicare Advantage plan. This is an HMO plan with Medicare contract that provides a comprehensive coverage that includes crowns, fillings, and dentures. This is considered as one of the top Medicare dental plans since there are no hidden costs for dental services and copays are quite low. With dentist office visits costing as low as $5 and prevention services such as cleanings costing just around $15, Medicare dental plans from Delta are one of the most affordable dental plans. You can pick any dentist from the DeltaCare USA HMO network depending in your location. There is no waiting period involved. You can avail of the benefits as soon as you enroll.
Humana Medicare Dental Plan
Humana Medicare Advantage plans offer dental care only with certain plans. The Medicare dental plan is known as MyOption Enhanced Dental HMO. These plans do not have any deductible and there is no waiting period for the coverage to start. Benefits offered by these plans include full coverage for basic procedures such as cleanings, fillings, crowns, and exams. Partial coverage is provided for a few major services such as extractions. However, this is applicable only when you go to dentists who are in the Humana Medicare network.
UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Dental Plan
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage Plan provides routine dental coverage through two options: enroll in a plan with routine dental care benefits or enroll in a plan with a supplemental rider for routine dental care. Based on the chosen plan, you can avail of various dental services such as annual exams that include panoramic and bitewing X-rays. These top Medicare dental plans also include routine cleaning and polishing, non-surgical extractions, minor restorative procedures such as fillings, bridgework and crowns, denture and denture adjustments, and minor periodontal scalings.
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Here’s how to get your divorce records without any hassle
Read moreGetting a divorce is a tedious process. And once the lengthy process is over and the divorce has fallen through, each of the parties involved receives their copy of the divorce certificate. This document is extremely important as it is your only proof that the marriage has been legally dissolved. Whether you want to get remarried or need the divorce records for some legal pursuit, getting the divorce records in the event of losing them can be tricky, unless you know where you can find these divorce records.
While there may be quite a few options to secure the divorce records, to begin with, you will need certain concrete details such as the name of the divorce parties involved, the date of birth of each of the parties, and details pertaining to the location (state/county) where the legal judgment finalizing the divorce was acquired.
The first place to easily find your divorce records is through your attorney. On the event of finalizing any divorce judgment, every attorney carries a record of your case along with the final judgment copy for certain period, depending on their policy. However, you should always remember that at this point, the attorney will only have a copy of your divorce records and it is not the certified one that you got directly from the courts.
Another option is to reach out to the county office of the court’s clerk where your divorce was finalized and place a request by going there in person or through a phone call for a copy of your divorce records. There are some counties that have online options to put in your request. After you have provided a filled up form containing all the details required regarding both the parties, you would be required to pay a nominal fee in order to secure the records. The divorce records obtained here would be the certified copy. In case you have forgotten the county where you finalized your divorce, you can always get the same certified divorce records from the state’s Department of Vital Records. The process is similar to the county office and getting the divorce records would not be a problem as long as you furnish the required details and pay the fee.
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5 popular prepaid options from Boost
Read moreWhile mobile phones are in plenty, everyone has their choice of wireless carrier plans. Some like monthly billing, while others prefer prepaid services. Now since contract phones are out of the way, prepaid and monthly billing plans have taken their place.
There are many carriers that have prepaid options, but those who are looking beyond the big four – AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile, can avail of the best prepaid options from Boost Mobile’s new phone services. They have their own devices, which can be purchased from the carriers as well as retailers.
- Samsung Galaxy J3: This is one of the best-selling phones by Boost Mobile’s new phones. It works on 4G LTE with 16 GB memory. The screen size is 5 inches and is powered by a Qualcomm MSM 8917, 1.4 GHz quad-core processor.
- LG Tribute HD: This phone runs on the Android Marshmallow 6.0 version. Two cameras – an 8 MP rear and 2 MP front cameras, 4G LTE speed and a 5-inch screen are some of its best features. The internal memory is 16 GB.
- LG Stylo: Available at USD 129.99, the LG Stylo operates on the Android Nougat 7.0 operating system. As named, LG Stylo comes with a stylus. The big screen size of 5.7 inches and 13.0 MP rear facing camera is impressive. The memory is 16 GB, which can be expanded via SD card and works at 4G LTE speed.
- Apple iPhone 6: The first of Boost Mobile’s new phones that run on iOS. Till now all Boost mobiles were available on the Android platform. The 32 GB memory and 4G LTE speed make it easy for users who love Apple products. Priced at USD 199.99, this prepaid cell phone has the iOS 10.2.1 version.
- Samsung Galaxy J7 Perx: This Android 7.0 Nougat phone runs at the speed of 4G LTE and is decently priced at USD 159.99. The Samsung Galaxy J7 Perx comes with 16 GB expandable memory and 8 MP rear and 5 MP front cameras.
Boost Mobile’s new phones are quite affordable being priced from USD 35 and can range up to USD 200. Though all the phones have an Android OS, there is one iOS version too. These phones can be a bought at a better deal from online retailers like Amazon as they are contract-free phones.