Darin Weidauer, licensed insurance agent · NPN 18580338National number (424) 295-0627 · darinweidauer@ecos.care
Supplemental Coverage

Dental Insurance, with Vision and Hearing You Can Add

Original Medicare pays for almost none of it — no routine dental, no eyeglasses, no hearing aids. A dental policy is what fills that gap, and vision and hearing can be added to the same policy. Here is how it works, where a Medicare Advantage plan may already cover you, and what to look at before you pay a second premium for anything.

Call (424) 295-0627 Ask for a quote

Read this first

This is not Medicare, a Medicare Supplement policy or a Medicare Advantage plan. It is separate insurance with its own premium, its own rules and its own limits.

Why people buy it

The problem it solves

Original Medicare does not cover routine dental care, routine eye exams for glasses, eyeglasses, contact lenses, or hearing aids and the exams to fit them. That is not an oversight anybody can appeal; it is how the programme was written. A set of dentures, a pair of progressive lenses and a pair of hearing aids are, for most people, three of the largest health costs of retirement, and all three arrive with no insurance behind them.

There are real exceptions and they are the part people are most often told wrongly, so they are worth knowing before you buy anything. Medicare does cover cataract surgery, and after it, one pair of eyeglasses or one set of contact lenses. It covers an annual glaucoma screening if you are at high risk, and an annual eye exam for diabetic retinopathy. It covers a diagnostic hearing or balance exam when a doctor orders it to work out treatment, and since 2023 an audiologist visit once every twelve months without a doctor's order for hearing loss that came on gradually. And it covers dental work that is an integral part of a covered medical procedure. What it does not cover is the routine care — the cleaning, the filling, the crown, the glasses, the hearing aid itself.

How it works

Three things happen, in this order

Dental is the policy. Vision and hearing are added to it

This is the first thing to understand, because it is not how the market is usually described. What you buy is a dental policy. Vision and hearing are options you add to that policy — you may take one, both or neither, but they attach to the dental coverage rather than standing on their own. We do not sell a vision-only or a hearing-only plan, and neither do most companies in this market. If hearing aids are the reason you are reading this page, what you are looking for is a dental policy with the hearing option added, and it is better to know that now than at application.

If you are choosing a Medicare Advantage plan anyway, look there first

Many Medicare Advantage plans include a dental allowance, and where a plan includes one it comes as part of the plan rather than as a separate premium you pay for dental. Which plans include it, and how much they allow, depends on the plan and on the county you live in — it is not part of Medicare and it is not the same everywhere. But if you are shopping for a plan, that is the cheapest dental coverage you will ever be offered, because it rides on a plan you were going to take regardless. We are contracted to place those plans, and checking what the ones in your county actually include costs you nothing.

Then look at where that allowance stops

A plan's dental allowance is capped, and a crown, a bridge or a set of dentures can pass the cap in a single course of treatment. It generally runs through the plan's own network, too, which may or may not include the dentist you have been going to for years. A standalone dental policy is what covers the work above the cap, or the dentist outside the network. Plenty of people hold both on purpose, and that is a sensible thing to do — it is only wasteful when the plan allowance already covers everything you use.

You do not have to be on Medicare to buy one

A dental policy is ordinary insurance, not a Medicare product, and it is not age-gated the way Medicare is. If you retired early, went self-employed, are between jobs or simply lost dental coverage when you left an employer, you can buy this at any age and none of the Medicare discussion above applies to you at all.

It pays a share of each service, and the share goes up as you hold it

Rather than covering everything above a deductible, these policies pay a percentage of each kind of work — most of preventive care, less of basic work, least of major work — up to a policy year maximum you choose at application. On the Manhattan Life policy set out below, the percentage on basic and major work rises after the first year, which is the single most important thing to understand about buying one: it rewards holding it before you need it. Waiting periods are the other half of that. That policy has none on dental work apart from orthodontia — but where a policy does carry one, a crown you already know is coming will not be covered if you buy the month before.

Honest fit

Who this suits, and who it does not

The second list matters more than the first. An agent who only writes the first one is selling, not advising.

Worth considering if…

  • You are on Original Medicare with no dental coverage at all, and you know work is coming — a crown, a bridge, dentures.
  • Your Medicare Advantage plan has a dental allowance, but it runs out before your dental work does.
  • You want to keep the dentist you already have, rather than move to whoever is in a plan's network.
  • You wear hearing aids, or you have been putting them off because of the cost, and you are willing to take the dental policy the hearing option attaches to.
  • You are not on Medicare yet — retired early, self-employed, or between jobs — and you have lost the dental coverage you used to have.
  • You are a veteran who never enrolled in VA health care, or a federal retiree on a deferred annuity. The government dental programmes are closed to you, which surprises a lot of people; this is not.

Probably not for you if…

  • You need major work done next month. Waiting periods mean a policy bought now will not pay for it, and we would rather tell you that than sell you one.
  • You want vision or hearing coverage on its own. There is no such policy here — both attach to a dental policy, and if you do not want the dental coverage there is nothing for us to write.
  • You are expecting it to pay the whole bill. It pays toward a schedule of services up to an annual maximum, which is real money and is not the same thing as being covered.
  • Your Medicare Advantage plan's dental allowance already covers everything you use. Paying a second premium for a benefit you are not going to reach is the most common way money is wasted in this corner of the market.
Companies

Who we can place this with

Darin is appointed with each of these companies and can place coverage with any of them. We do not represent every insurer, and which company suits you depends on your age, your state, your health history and which benefits you actually want. Where a carrier's benefits are described on this page, those details come from that carrier's own current brochure.

Manhattan Life

Dental, Vision and Hearing Select

Every benefit below is transcribed from ManhattanLife Dental, Vision and Hearing Select brochure DVHS-NVBR 0525 (Nevada edition). Benefits, amounts and riders vary by state; the policy issued to you governs.

  • Choose the policy year maximum Included

    The maximum the policy pays in a policy year is chosen at application: $1,000, $1,500, $3,000 or $5,000.

  • Choose the deductible Included

    $0 or $100 per person for the policy year. The deductible does not apply to preventive services.

  • Preventive services Included

    Dental exams twice a year, cleanings twice a year, bitewing X-rays twice a year, and fluoride treatment twice a year for age 16 and under. Paid at 100% of the contracted rate in network, or 80% of usual, customary and reasonable charges out of network.

    No waiting period, and the deductible does not apply.

  • Basic services Included

    Limited oral evaluation, diagnostic consultation, emergency palliative treatment, panoramic and periapical X-rays, periodontal and periodontal non-surgical services, basic restorative service, fillings, basic oral surgery and non-surgical extraction. Paid at 65% in the first year and 80% thereafter, of the contracted rate in network or of usual, customary and reasonable charges out of network.

    No waiting period.

  • Major services Included

    Major restorative service, inlay, onlay and crown, endodontic service, periodontal service, prosthodontic service and implants. Paid at 20% in the first year and 50% thereafter, of the contracted rate in network or of usual, customary and reasonable charges out of network.

    Implants carry a lifetime maximum of $1,500. No waiting period.

  • All other medically necessary services Included

    Services not otherwise listed are paid at 20% in the first year and 50% thereafter, of the contracted rate in network or of usual, customary and reasonable charges out of network.

  • Orthodontia Included

    Straightening of teeth, at any age. Nothing is payable in the first year; from the second year it is paid at 50% in network. Not payable out of network.

    Waiting period: 12 months. Lifetime maximum $1,500. This is the only dental service on the policy that carries a waiting period.

  • Vision rider — exams, lenses and contacts Optional rider

    Eye exam, refraction, single, bifocal, trifocal and progressive lenses, and contact lenses. Paid at 60% of usual, customary and reasonable charges in the first year, 70% in the second and 80% thereafter, one per year.

  • Vision rider — frames and lens options Optional rider

    Eyeglass frame to a maximum of $200 per year. Anti-reflective lenses $45, one per year. Polycarbonate lenses $40, one per year. Contact lens fitting fee $15, one per year.

    The eyeglass frame benefit carries a 6 month waiting period.

  • Hearing rider Optional rider

    Hearing exam, and hearing aids with necessary repairs or supplies, to a maximum of $750 per ear per year.

    Waiting period: 12 months on hearing aids, repairs and supplies. The exam is paid from the same maximum as the aid.

  • Use any dentist, in network or out Included

    Benefits are payable whichever dentist is used. The Careington Maximum Care PPO dental network is optional; using it reduces the charge, which makes the policy year maximum go further.

Issue ages
Ages 18 to 99. Family rates include up to three children; additional children are charged the age 3 to 17 rate per person.
Underwriting
Guaranteed issue.
Renewability
Guaranteed renewable for life, subject to the company's right to change premiums.
Policy form
AK7034NV. Rider forms AK7034VR, AK7034HR. Form numbers and benefits vary by state.

Required disclosures from Manhattan

This is a Limited Benefit Insurance Policy for Dental, Vision and Hearing Expenses.

This is not a complete disclosure of plan qualifications and limitations. The amounts of benefits provided depend on the plan selected. Premiums will vary according to the selection made.

Not available in all states.

Also appointed

Also appointed, with benefit details not yet published here: the companies listed here. Ask and we will quote them alongside the others.

  • NCD
  • Mutual of Omaha
  • Aflac

We publish no benefit detail for these companies here because we hold no current brochure for them in this product family. Naming a benefit we have not read would be a guess, and a guess is what gets a claim denied.

Where we can place it

Availability in your state

Insurance is regulated state by state. A company may file a benefit in one state and not in another, which is a large part of why working with more than one company matters.

Availability by state, in full

The right-hand column lists what is not offered in that state by any company whose benefits are published on this page. We are appointed with other companies in this family as well — where something is withheld here, ask, and we will check them for you.

StatePublished benefits not offered there
ArizonaNone — everything on this page can be placed here
CaliforniaNone — everything on this page can be placed here
ColoradoNone — everything on this page can be placed here
FloridaNone — everything on this page can be placed here
GeorgiaNone — everything on this page can be placed here
HawaiiNone — everything on this page can be placed here
IndianaNone — everything on this page can be placed here
MinnesotaNone — everything on this page can be placed here
NevadaNone — everything on this page can be placed here
New MexicoNone — everything on this page can be placed here
North CarolinaNone — everything on this page can be placed here
OhioNone — everything on this page can be placed here
South CarolinaNone — everything on this page can be placed here
TennesseeNone — everything on this page can be placed here
TexasNone — everything on this page can be placed here
UtahNone — everything on this page can be placed here
WashingtonNone — everything on this page can be placed here

ECOS is licensed in seventeen states. Medicare guides: Arizona · California · Colorado · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Indiana · Minnesota · Nevada · New Mexico · North Carolina · Ohio · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Washington.

What it costs

Monthly premium

See your exact rate and apply — Manhattan

That link goes straight to the company, pre-set to this agency, and prices for your own state, age and plan choices. Nothing on this page can do that, so use it before you rely on the table below.

$1,000 policy year maximum

Age at issue$0 deductible$100 deductible
3 to 17$21.31$19.57
18 to 39$22.97$20.43
40 to 54$29.29$26.22
55 to 64$31.21$28.12
65 to 74$32.91$29.73
75 to 99$35.09$31.54

$1,500 policy year maximum

Age at issue$0 deductible$100 deductible
3 to 17$22.67$20.93
18 to 39$24.42$21.79
40 to 54$31.25$28.05
55 to 64$33.39$30.16
65 to 74$35.34$32.01
75 to 99$37.82$34.11

$3,000 policy year maximum

Age at issue$0 deductible$100 deductible
3 to 17$26.56$24.33
18 to 39$27.46$24.59
40 to 54$35.39$31.89
55 to 64$38.03$34.49
65 to 74$40.51$36.84
75 to 99$43.59$39.49

$5,000 policy year maximum

Age at issue$0 deductible$100 deductible
3 to 17$29.57$26.23
18 to 39$30.03$26.93
40 to 54$38.83$35.04
55 to 64$41.83$37.98
65 to 74$44.67$40.67
75 to 99$48.14$43.67

Vision and hearing riders

Age at issueVision riderHearing rider
3 to 17$2.99$1.01
18 to 39$3.81$0.67
40 to 54$8.16$1.33
55 to 64$8.70$2.50
65 to 74$10.15$3.50
75 to 99$10.15$4.17

Added to the dental premium. Neither rider is sold on its own.

Individual monthly rates from the Nevada edition of the carrier's brochure, current as at May 2025. Premiums are subject to change, the rate is set from the age of the oldest applicant at issue, and rates in another state will differ. Individual-plus-spouse, individual-plus-children and family rates are quoted on request. Family rates include up to three children; additional children are charged the age 3 to 17 rate per person.

Straight answers

Questions people actually ask

Can I buy just vision, or just hearing?

No — not here, and generally not anywhere. Vision and hearing are options added to a dental policy rather than products of their own. You can take dental alone, dental plus vision, dental plus hearing, or all three, but the dental policy is the contract everything else attaches to.

Does Medicare really not cover hearing aids?

Correct — Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids or the exams to fit them. It does cover a diagnostic hearing or balance exam when a doctor orders one to determine treatment, and since 2023 you may see an audiologist once every twelve months without a doctor's order for hearing loss that came on gradually. The aid itself is yours to pay for, unless a Medicare Advantage plan you are enrolled in includes a hearing benefit.

I had cataract surgery. Doesn't Medicare pay for my glasses?

After cataract surgery that implants an intraocular lens, Part B helps pay for one pair of eyeglasses with standard frames or one set of contact lenses. That is a specific exception tied to the surgery, not general eyewear coverage, and it does not repeat with each new prescription.

My Medicare Advantage plan already has dental. Do I need this too?

Possibly not, and that is worth working out before you spend anything. If your plan's allowance covers the cleanings and the occasional filling you actually use, a second premium buys you very little. If you are facing a crown, a bridge or dentures, an allowance can be gone in one visit — and that is where a separate policy earns its keep. Tell us what your plan allows and what work is coming, and the answer usually becomes obvious in a few minutes.

Do I have to be on Medicare to buy a dental policy?

No. Dental insurance is not a Medicare product and there is no age gate on it. A good share of the people who buy one are under 65 — early retirees, self-employed people and anyone who lost dental coverage along with a job.

I'm a veteran, or a federal retiree. Should I look at VADIP or FEDVIP first?

It is worth ten minutes to find out, and the eligibility rules catch people out. VADIP lets veterans buy dental insurance at group rates through Delta Dental or MetLife — but only if you are enrolled in VA health care or receiving CHAMPVA, so a veteran who never enrolled is not eligible. FEDVIP is the federal dental and vision programme, open to federal and postal retirees who left on an immediate annuity; a deferred annuity does not qualify. Both are insurance you pay a premium for, not a free benefit, so the comparison is a price comparison. Have it either way — if one of them beats what we can write for you, we will say so.

How soon does it start paying?

That depends on the policy and on the kind of work. Preventive care typically begins sooner than major work, and major work typically carries a waiting period measured in months. The specific numbers are in the outline of coverage for the policy you are considering, and they are the single most important thing to read before you sign — particularly if you already know what work you need.

The figures below — do they apply in my state?

The schedule set out below is transcribed from Manhattan Life's own brochure, and that brochure is the Nevada edition — the policy form number carries the state in it. The way the policy is built is the product's; the exact schedule and the form number are Nevada's, and the brochure says the product is not available in every state. Ask us for the brochure and outline of coverage for your state and we will send those rather than guess from this one.

You name four companies but only publish one schedule. Why?

Because we have read one brochure. Manhattan Life's is set out in full below; for NCD, Mutual of Omaha and Aflac we hold no current material, so we name them as companies we are appointed with and say nothing about what they pay. Borrowing Manhattan Life's numbers to fill those gaps would be a guess, and a guess is what gets a claim denied.

What will it cost me?

Rates are published further down this page, and there is a link that will price it exactly for you. Read both in that order. The link goes straight to Manhattan Life, already set to this agency, and prices your own state, your own age and the plan choices you make — which the table cannot do, because the table is one state's and one moment's. What moves the premium is your age at issue, your state, the policy year maximum you pick, the deductible you pick and whether you add vision, hearing or both.

Why publish Nevada's rates if I do not live there?

Because a real number, honestly labelled, tells you more than no number at all — it shows you the shape of the thing, what the riders add and how much the policy year maximum moves it. What it will not tell you is your own premium. Use the quote link for that, or ask us; we would rather you saw both than neither.

Ask for a quote on Dental Insurance

Tell us how to reach you and which state you are in. A licensed agent calls back, usually the same business day, and will tell you plainly if you already have coverage that makes this unnecessary.

ECOS Medicare Solutions is not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. This is a solicitation of insurance. A licensed insurance agent may contact you.

Other coverage that pays you cash

Hospital Indemnity Insurance

Pays you a fixed cash amount for each day you spend in hospital, whatever your other coverage pays. Most often bought to cover the daily co-pays a Medicare Advantage plan leaves behind.

Worth a look if your Medicare Advantage plan charges a per-day inpatient co-pay.

Accident Insurance

Cash toward what an accident actually costs — the emergency room, the ambulance, the nights in hospital — paid on top of whatever your health plan pays.

Worth a look if your health plan has a deductible a single emergency room visit would blow through.

Cancer and Critical Illness Insurance

Pays a lump sum in cash on diagnosis, to spend on anything at all — co-pays, travel, a mortgage payment, time off work.

Worth a look if a diagnosis would cost you months of income as well as co-pays.

Short-Term Home Health Care Insurance

Pays a daily cash benefit for care at home after an illness, injury or surgery, on the same trigger long-term care insurance uses but for a limited period.

Worth a look if you want coverage for the recovery weeks after surgery or a fall.

All Supplemental Coverage · Medicare help in your state