Best Medicare Advantage plan for dental coverage in Dawson County, Texas

Why this plan

Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dental Premier (PPO) puts $3,000 a year towards dental care, the most of the 11 plans we compare here. The next is HumanaChoice H5216-042 (PPO), at $1,500 a year.

6 plans here file no dollar amount for comprehensive dental care: they may cover only cleanings and exams, or limit care in ways we can't compare in dollars.

Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dental Value (HMO) would come first on this alone, but Medicare rates it 2.5 stars, below the 3 stars we require for a pick.

What it gives up

• Its star rating, 3 stars, is below average.

Where else it does well

• Its out-of-pocket limit, $6,750, is among the lowest here; the middle plan's is $7,650.

Who it suits

A large dental allowance suits you if you expect more than cleanings: a crown, a root canal, dentures or implants. Original Medicare covers almost none of that. An allowance is a ceiling, not a promise: the plan can still charge a copay or a share of each bill, limit how often it pays for a service, and pay only dentists in its network.

The next best for dental coverage

Before you choose

• Check your doctors and hospitals. Most Medicare Advantage plans pay only, or mostly, for care in their own network. Ask the plan, or your doctor's office, before you join.
• Price your prescriptions. What your drugs cost can differ by hundreds of dollars a year between plans and outweigh any premium difference. Add them in our plan list to see your own costs.
• Read the plan's own documents. We take every figure from what the plan filed with Medicare, but its Evidence of Coverage is the final word on what it pays.
• Get free advice if you want it. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) gives free, unbiased help choosing a plan.

How we picked

The plan with the most money a year towards comprehensive dental care -- fillings, crowns, root canals, dentures -- as the plan filed it with Medicare. Money only dental care can use counts ahead of an allowance shared with other benefits. Plans that charge a set copay for each service instead of paying from an allowance (dental HMOs) aren't ranked by dollars; they're listed separately, by their highest copays for fillings and crowns, root canals and dentures. Where several tie, we look next at the largest Part B giveback, then the lowest premium, then the lowest out-of-pocket limit for in-network care. Plans that still tie are listed by name.

We compare the 13 Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage that anyone with Medicare in Dawson County can join. Special needs plans and PACE, which are only for people who qualify, aren't included; you'll find them on the Dawson County page. No plan pays to be picked.

We don't pick plans Medicare rates below 3 stars, and leave 2 out here: Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Dental Value (HMO) (2.5 stars), Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Secure (HMO) (2.5 stars). Plans too new to have a rating are included, and say so.