> The reason they do pay for the cleanings is that it's probably cheaper than paying for the increased fillings and root canals that they would incur if people skipped the routine cleanings.
Actually, no, they reason they do is because they're usually subsidized by employers providing the plans. In other words, it'd be equivalent to the employer reimbursing a portion of your regular dental care that you pay for out-of-pocket. The expected reduction in cost for the insurer due to routine cleanings is negligible from their perspective.
If you purchase dental insurance individually, these treatments are very rarely covered, or if they are, the price under insurance is usually about the same as the price without insurance. Which makes sense from a risk model - when there is literally no risk at hand, the price under insurance should actually be higher than the uninsured price, by a tiny amount.
Actually, no, they reason they do is because they're usually subsidized by employers providing the plans. In other words, it'd be equivalent to the employer reimbursing a portion of your regular dental care that you pay for out-of-pocket. The expected reduction in cost for the insurer due to routine cleanings is negligible from their perspective.
If you purchase dental insurance individually, these treatments are very rarely covered, or if they are, the price under insurance is usually about the same as the price without insurance. Which makes sense from a risk model - when there is literally no risk at hand, the price under insurance should actually be higher than the uninsured price, by a tiny amount.