Author
Health & Life Insurance Contributor
Michael Chen is a contributor to Best Insurance Guide covering health, life and disability insurance. He writes plain-English explainers on premiums, deductibles, copays and subsidies, with every guide reviewed against current plan documents, CMS materials and marketplace guidelines before publication. *Editorial note: contributor profiles reflect current editorial roles. License numbers and verifiable professional credentials are published here as contributors provide them. Our guides are educational and do not constitute personalized financial advice — always confirm details with a licensed agent or your state insurance department before buying.*
health insuranceOriginal Medicare covers almost no dental care. Here is how Medicare Advantage dental, stand-alone plans and discount plans compare, and how to pick the right one.
health insuranceHow dental coverage works in Florida, from employer and stand-alone plans to Medicaid, Florida KidCare and discount plans, with the plan terms that decide what you pay.
health insuranceMany dental plans exclude or limit implants. Here is what makes a plan good for implants, how the missing tooth and alternate benefit clauses work, and when medical insurance helps.
health insuranceWhere children's dental insurance comes from, what the Affordable Care Act's pediatric dental benefit covers, how Medicaid and CHIP fit in, and what braces and sealants really cost.
health insuranceHow dental insurance covers a root canal, why the crown afterwards is often the bigger bill, and how waiting periods, annual maximums and coinsurance tiers change what you pay.
health insuranceMost veterans do not qualify for free VA dental care. Here is who does, how VADIP works for everyone else, and where TRICARE dental and FEDVIP fit for families and retirees.
health insuranceA guide to dental insurance in Illinois, from employer and individual plans to Get Covered Illinois, Medicaid, All Kids and the state's school dental exam requirement.
health insuranceWhat the best dental insurance with no waiting period actually looks like, the four legitimate ways to avoid waiting periods, and the trade-offs hidden in plans that promise immediate coverage.
health insuranceHow dental insurance works in Texas, why dental HMOs are so common here, what Texas Medicaid and CHIP cover, and how to judge which plan is best for you.
health insuranceHow secondary dental insurance works, which plan pays first, why two plans rarely pay 100%, and a simple test for whether dual coverage is worth the premium.
health insuranceCOBRA premiums are a qualifying medical expense, which sounds better than it is. Three routes make them genuinely deductible and most households qualify for none of them.
health insuranceCancelling is almost always allowed. Getting back in is not, because enrolment is restricted to open enrolment and qualifying life events. That asymmetry is the whole answer.