The out-of-pocket maximum misconception
Insurance premiums, deductibles, and co-pays almost always cost more than full fee healthcare. In the United States, your primary health insurance is required to have an out-of-pocket maximum clause where insurance pays for 100% of your healthcare expenses after your co-pays reach a threshold. Non-primary health insurances, like dental insurance, rarely contain an out-of-pocket maximum clause. You receive co-payment benefits up to a certain threshold, and then you’re stuck paying 100% of your healthcare expenses out of pocket.
The Use-It-or-lose-it penalty
Dental insurance benefits expire at the end of the year. If you don’t go to the dentist this year, then you paid several hundred dollars for nothing.