Thanks to the rise of the internet and the world wide web, we are able to witness a new wave of entrepreneurs. 

These entrepreneurs have helped to change our lives in more ways than one. From the way we hail taxis to how we rent vacation houses and even how we order food, entrepreneurs and their respective visions have changed our world today.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re used to taking risks in order to benefit financially. But you don’t need to take risks when it comes to your dental hygiene and vision. With a careful look at your options, you can manage your risks by getting low-cost dental and vision insurance.

So in addition to choosing self-employed health insurance, you also need to figure out self-employed vision insurance and dental insurance— which we’ll be discussing in the article below. By the end of this guide, you will be able to answer the question “what is vision insurance” and find out how to obtain the best insurance policies that are right for you.

Self-employed dental insurance and vision insurance for entrepreneurs

If you are searching for “Self-employed dental insurance” and “self-employed vision insurance”, this really means you’ll want to look at individual or family dental and vision plans. You can use eHealth.com to compare premiums and find low-cost dental insurance and vision plans designed specifically for individuals and families. But before you set out to find low premiums for dental and vision, make sure you read about choosing the right low-cost dental insurance and vision plans for you.

Self-employed dental insurance

Oftentimes, dental insurance, including self-employed dental insurance, focuses on covering preventative care more than anything. In most low-cost dental insurance plans, this includes services such as cleanings, checkups, and x-rays. These services might be covered up to 100% , depending on your plan’s details. The National Association of Dental Plans identifies four types of dental plans:

• Dental Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) is a type of dental plan that provides dental benefits to enrollees by using a contracted network of dentists. This type of plan has a fixed monthly premium.
• Dental Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) have contracts with providers so that enrollees get discounts on overall fees. With this plan, you can choose to go outside of the network of contracted providers, which may result in reduction of coverage.
• Dental indemnity plans are commonly known as fee-for-service or traditional plans. They often give you freedom to visit whatever dentist you want, and you most likely won’t have to get referrals for procedures. With an indemnity plan, your insurance will typically pay a percentage of covered dental services once you meet your deductible.
• Discount dental or savings plans are designed for individuals, families, or groups looking for low cost dental care. Essentially, participating dental care providers accept a discounted fee from enrollees who pay a yearly fee. In most cases, there are no deductibles, co-pays, or waiting periods. These types of discount plans typically are not considered insurance.

As an entrepreneur seeking self-employed dental insurance, it’s important to consider what you want out of dental care. Understanding what is offered with different self-employed dental insurance plans might help you see what’s the best financial choice for you. Find low-cost dental insurance on eHealth.com with low premiums starting as low as $8/month.

Self-employed vision insurance

As an entrepreneur, you crave choices. So when it comes to finding vision insurance, you can choose among several options:

• Obtain vision benefits through a vision insurance plan – These plans work in a similar fashion to health insurance plans and break down into different categories.
• Select discount vision plans – Discount vision plans help you to get a broad discount on many vision services.  For example, your plan might cover 20%, and then you pay the rest for whatever eye care costs you have.
• Choose to go without a plan – Entrepreneurs may choose to go without a plan due to minimal or no vision related healthcare costs.

For your self-employed vision insurance, you and your family have four vision plans to choose from: HMOs, PPOs, Indemnity plans, and discount programs. Below, we have outlined the comparison of each so that you can make an informed choice of which is right for you:

1.       Vision Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)

• Monthly charges
• Access to a particular network of optometrists and facilities
• Have to stay in network

2.       Vision Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)

• Allowed to see optometrists outside the contracted network
• Discounts on standard fees
• Reduced coverage outside of the network

3.       Indemnity Plans

• Allowed to choose your optometrists freely
• No referrals are required for most procedures
• Once you obtain a vision service, your provider pays a percentage of the cost.

4.       Discount Programs

• Reduced prices of services
• No copays, reimbursements, or deductibles
• A monthly or annual membership fee is required for discounts on a range of vision services

With the right information on the coverage and cost details of all available vision insurance plans, you can choose the right one. Visit eHealth.com to compare individual vision plans starting as low as $6/month.

The cost of self-employed vision and dental insurance

A key point that is top of mind for many entrepreneurs is the individual health insurance cost for different plans. You want to make the best decisions to minimize costs and optimize advantages. If you weigh the costs of insured self-employed vision and dental services against their uninsured counterparts, you will notice that the gap is significant.

In any case, though, it all depends on your particular needs. If your vision and dental requirements are infrequent, then maybe subscribing to a discount program or even being uninsured is in your best interests. On the contrary, if vision problems prevail in your family, then an HMO or PPO plan from the best health insurance companies may suit you.

Tax credits for the self-employed

Before you rule out self-employed dental insurance because of the cost, you might be happy to know that there could be tax credits available to you for buying self-employed dental insurance and vision or for paying for dental or vision care.

If you pay for your own self-employed dental insurance and/or vision plan, you might qualify to deduct the cost of the premium that you paid for yourself, and possibly even the amount you paid to cover your dependent, depending on your circumstances.

This article is only for general information and is not tax or legal advice. Consult your tax or legal advisor for guidance.

What is the best dental and vision insurance for the self-employed?

The best dental and vision insurance for the self-employed will vary from individual to individual based on their respective needs. There are a variety of dental and vision insurance plans out there for the self-employed, including HMOs, PMOs, Indemnity plans, and discount programs. So, finding the best vision insurance for the self-employed depends on an individual’s wants and needs.

However, key deciding factors for many people consist of two aspects, plans that are comprehensive and affordable for you. So, here are some things that you should keep in mind when choosing self-employed vision and dental insurance:

• For both dental and vision insurance, each plan has its pros and cons. For instance, a PPO plan lets you see an out-of-network dentist, but you won’t get the same coverage as from an in-network provider
• If we are looking exclusively at dental insurance, the coverage includes different categories, such as basic procedures and preventative care. The percentage coverage for each category varies. For instance, if the insurer is covering 70% of the basic procedures, you would have to pay for the remaining 30%. Similarly, if your insurer is covering 50% of your major services, you would have to pay the rest.
• Similar to dental insurance plans, vision plans may also have limits on the categories of coverage they provide, such as laser vision correction procedures and exams.
• If there is a particular dentist or an eye professional whom you wish to continue to see, it is probably best if you choose a plan that will cover their practice and service offerings.
• Both vision and dental insurance plans often have hefty costs. This fact is true whether you are looking at the monthly premium, co-pay, or deductible. There may also be an annual cap on the amount the insurer is willing to pay for your vision and dental care.

If you are self-employed and are looking to find the best dental vision insurance options for yourself and your family, you can find it on eHealth.

Is vision insurance tax deductible for the self-employed?

Yes, some self-employed individuals can take advantage of tax deductions for premiums, but there are certain restrictions. In general, some self-employed individuals have the ability to deduct the cost of premiums on everything from medical insurance to dental vision insurance and other types of health related insurance costs.

If you are eligible, you may deduct health coverage costs for yourself and other eligible members of your household.

However, in order to qualify for tax deductions, self-employed Individuals must meet one of these aspects:

• Net profit for the current economic calendar year via the Schedule C or Schedule F form.
• You participate in a partnership with positive net earnings and must file a K-1.
• You have a higher than 2% equity position in an S Corporation, and health insurance premiums that you pay or that are covered partially or entirely by the firm are a part of your W-2 compensation.

Individuals that are eligible to participate in employer-sponsored health insurance plans will not be able to qualify for this tax deduction. If you have a spouse that qualifies for health insurance coverage for your entire family, you also will not qualify for a tax deduction. 

Is dental insurance worth it for the self-employed?

Yes, dental insurance can help self-employed professionals like yourself minimize your overall costs for dental care. 

Remember that dental costs are rising, so regular dental care costs can have an impact on your financial health over time. At the same time, emergency dental procedures can significantly dent your financial health. If you choose to ignore these dental pains, they can linger and affect your overall well-being.

Self-employed individuals will want to ensure that they are opting into the right dental plans to take advantage of routine and preventative dental care while minimizing overall costs. In addition, these coverage options will help you to account for dental emergencies that, while rare, may catch you off-guard and come with a huge bill.

Dental insurance for self-employed individuals provides peace of mind knowing that there is a safety net if surprises were to occur. Self-employed individuals obtain dental insurance to focus on their jobs and futures without worrying about dental issues that could create more financial concerns.

Find low-cost dental and vision insurance with eHealth

Dental and eye health are critical to your overall well-being. Dental or eye problems that continue to linger can lead to more significant health matters or be a sign of a more serious issue. While visits to your respective medical professionals can help address problems early on, they often come with high costs, so you should take advantage of the different options regarding your dental and vision health coverages. 

As an entrepreneur seeking self-employed vision insurance and dental insurance, it’s important to consider what you want out of your insurance plans. Understanding what is offered with different self-employed insurance plans might help you see what’s the best financial choice for you. 

You can learn more about vision and dental health coverage at eHealth, as well as obtain assistance and find the right vision and dental health insurance plans that work for you. We help individuals find the right balance between affordability and coverage with our resources and health insurance representatives. If you are looking for low-cost dental and vision insurance, find it with eHealth.