Humana Dental Plans for Seniors

Humana Dental Coverage Options

Preventive Value PPO

Best for: seniors looking for affordable, routine preventive care with a wide network of providers who don’t need major dental procedures.

A dental PPO plan may be a good option if regular preventive maintenance is your priority. This plan comes with no waiting period, enrollment fee, or annual maximum. There’s a one-time lifetime deductible of $50 for an individual, $100 for an individual plus one dependent or spouse, and $150 for a family of three or more individuals.

Preventive Value PPO provides 100 percent in-network coverage after the lifetime deductible is met. It includes routine oral exams and evaluations, cleanings, X-rays, and topical fluoride treatment. Meanwhile, basic services are 50 percent covered in-network once you meet the lifetime deductible.

Bright Plus PPO

Best for: older adults who want both preventive and basic restorative care, as well as budget-friendly premiums with access to a wide network of providers.

The Bright Plus dental plan is a good fit for people who prefer regular exams and cleaning. Members can use their coverage as soon as they receive their member ID card. There is no enrollment fee, and the plan has a $50 individual deductible and a $150 family deductible. Members also get a $100 annual allowance for in-office teeth whitening, which is a great extra benefit. Just keep in mind that deductibles and waiting periods don’t count for the teeth-whitening allowance.

Using an in-network dentist, plan subscribers get full coverage for two preventive oral exams and cleanings each year. For basic services, cover begins 90 days after your effective date. You get 60 percent coverage after deductible for basic services including fillings and simple extractions (some limits apply) when visiting a provider in-network.

Loyalty Plus PPO

Best for: aging adults who want comprehensive dental coverage with increasing benefits over time that includes preventive, basic, and major services with access to a broad provider network.

The Loyalty Plus PPO plan offers immediate coverage with no waiting period, and you get rewards for being a member. You have a choice of any Humana dentists, and benefits increase over the duration of your membership.

The percentage your plan pays toward services grows annually until the third year. In the first year, you get a maximum of $1,000 per person. This will grow to $1,250 in the second year, then $1,500 in the third. If you plan to be with the same carrier long-term, this is any easy way to score benefits just for being a loyal customer!

Your basic dental services cover fillings, extractions, and X-rays up to the annual benefit maximum. It breaks down to 40 percent covered for the first year, 55 percent for the second, and 70 percent covered for the third year forward.

Major dental services cover root canals, crowns, and dentures up to the annual benefit maximum. That starts at 20 percent for the first year, then grows to 30 and then 50 percent in the second and third year.

Complete Dental PPO

Best for: older adults who want extensive dental coverage that includes preventive, basic, and major services with options for orthodontic work that gives them comprehensive care and access to a wide provider network.

The Complete Dental PPO is good for older adults transitioning from their employer’s insurance to their own plan. You will have comprehensive coverage – 100 percent preventive, 80 percent basic services, 50 percent major services. Having the PPO means you can maintain your already healthy smile with access to all of Humana’s dentist and specialist locations nationwide. You can also pay your premiums by mail, by phone, or online. Members pay an annual deductible of $50 per person or $150 per family. There’s no deductible as long as you use in-network providers for preventive services. You have an annual plan maximum of $1250 for year 1, with an increase to $1500 in years 2+ years.

For preventive care, there is no waiting period to get two annual routine oral examinations, two cleanings per year, and two annual topical fluoride treatments. Your deductible is also waived for in-network preventive services.

For basic care, there is a six-month waiting period for services, although it may be waived if you have had coverage for 12 continuous months. You get one filling per tooth per two years, initial placement for space maintainers for ages 14 and under, and prefabricated stainless steel crowns. In-network coverage is 80 percent after paying the deductible, but some limits apply.

There is a 12-month waiting period (does not apply in Tennessee) for major services, but it may be waived if you have had coverage for 12 continuous months. Services include oral surgery (including one root canal per tooth per lifetime), complete and partial dentures once per five years (plus repairs and adjustments), and crowns, onlays, and inlays (one per tooth per five years). Also included is periodontal maintenance (two per year) and periodontal scaling and root planing (one per quadrant every three years). In-network coverage is 50 percent after paying the deductible, but some limits apply.

Dental Value HMO

Best for: people who want lower premiums and to avoid unexpected costs. There is a set fee schedule, so there will be no surprises.

Dental Value is an HMO plan with affordable coverage for preventive, basic, and major services with fixed fees and no deductibles. Preventive services, including exams and cleaning, are covered 100 percent and have no deductible.

Plan members can expect zero deductibles or waiting periods.There is no maximum benefit limit and members can pay premiums by mail, by phone, or online. Plan members must choose a primary-care network dentist for routine care and to access network specialists.

Basic and major services are paid on a set fee schedule per a member’s benefit summary. Basic services include fillings, extractions, and X-rays, while major services include root canals, crowns, and dentures.

Dental Savings Plus

Best for: people who need to have a lot of dental work done that goes beyond yearly insurance limits and those looking for a discount program.

Like Aetna, some dental insurance carriers offer dental discount cards or savings programs. Dental Savings Plus is not a plan, but you can still gain great dental benefits from it. You don’t pay deductibles or copays for office visits, and you can get discounts for preventive, basic, and major dental work. There’s also no limit on the number of services you use each year, but you will pay out of pocket for dental care at a discount. You can save 20 percent to 40 percent on services such as exams and cleanings. There’s special discounts on prescriptions, alternative medicine, vision and hearing care.

Bright Plus for Veterans

Best for: veterans who want to have regular dental exams and cleanings to maintain their dental health.

Not all dental insurance carriers offer dental plans just for veterans, so this is a unique offering. Kaiser Permanente’s Delta Dental, for example, does not have designated plans for veterans.

Bright Plus for Veterans covers preventive and basic services such as routine cleanings and exams, fillings, and extractions, and it offers a $100 teeth-whitening allowance and special discounts. You get two preventive exams and cleanings per year. The plan has a three-month waiting period on basic services. You get 60 percent coverage after deductible for basic services including fillings and simple extractions (some limits apply) when visiting a provider in-network.

Humana Dental Plan Costs

The chart below is an example of plan costs for a 65-year-old living in Florida. Prices, however, can vary widely based on age and location.

Humana Medicare Advantage Plans With Dental Coverage

Most of Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans come with routine dental and vision coverage. Dental benefits provide an annual exam, two annual free cleanings, and dental X-rays once every five years. They may also come with vision benefits such as yearly eye exams, a yearly allowance for eyeglasses or contacts, glaucoma screenings, and diabetic eye exams. If you’re interested in a Medicare Advantage plan, check out our guides to the best Medicare Advantage plans and the best dental supplemental plans.

For comparison, seniors seeking more coverage from a Medicare Advantage plan may want to consider Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage members have the option to combine their Medicare coverage with Medicare coverage through Advantage Plus. Adding Plus gets you comprehensive dental, fitness, vision, and hearing benefits all in one package for a low monthly price.

How to Purchase a Humana Dental Plan

To purchase a Humana dental plan, you can enroll online or call a licensed Humana sales agent between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. When buying online, you can input the state you live in and your age to bring up your plan options. To choose a plan, you simply add it to your cart. You will then be presented with the cost and your new plan’s effective date. Next, you will be prompted to add applicant details and household details. It will take you to a final page to review and check out. You can also benefit from the MyHumana app, which allows you to do everything from locate a dentist to refill prescriptions.

Humana Reviews

Humana gets mostly negative customer reviews on multiple websites. Many customers cited disappointment with the company’s policies, problems with billing and reimbursement services, and poor customer service. Customer reviews ranged from “not all of the providers they list accept all of their plans” to “when calling for assistance, all they want to do is upsell you a more expensive policy.” The company gets an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and is accredited, but it has received 289 complaints in the past three years.5

We recommend taking customer reviews with a grain of salt. Everyone’s experience is different, and people are more likely to leave reviews about negative experiences than positive ones. When reading reviews, we recommend looking for common themes rather than weighing any one review too heavily.

Humana Dental vs. the Competition

Below, we’ll compare Humana’s dental plans to other popular carriers.

Humana vs. Kaiser Dental

Kaiser Delta Dental plans are available in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Oregon and Washington state. Kaiser Dental has three plans: Dental PPO Insurance Plan (premium or basic)  or DeltaCare USA.  Plans are administered by Delta Dental. If you live in a state where Kaiser dental insurance is available, it could be a good choice, especially if it comes as part of Medicare Advantage.

Humana vs. Delta Dental

Compared to Humana, Delta has the country's largest dental network with about 152,000 participating dentists. Delta has five plans to choose from with PPO and HMO plan options, a dental service discount plan, and managed fee for service plan. Services like cleanings, x-rays, and exams are covered from day one. Fillings, crowns, or bridges may have a waiting period.

Humana vs. Aetna Dental

Aetna dental plan options start at $20 and dental checkups, cleanings and X-rays are fully covered. You have a choice of providers and access to a nationwide network with more than 445,000 dental providers. Aetna also provides virtual dental care. You get extra benefits like access to CVS ExtraCare Plus membership including a $10 monthly reward,  free delivery and more.