Telling Tooth to Power: J.D. Power 2019 Dental Plan Satisfaction Report

by Clive Riddle, November 8, 2019

J.D. Power has just released its 2019 Dental Plan Satisfaction Report, which found that “customer satisfaction with dental plans increased in 2019, driven by year-over-year increases in coverage and communication experience,” with an overall satisfaction score in 2019 of 772 (on a 1,000-point scale) increasing from 768 in 2018.

The study found that DentaQuest (810 score) ranks highest, Blue Cross Dental/Blue Shield Dental (806 score) ranked second and HumanaDental (780 score) ranked third. The study noted “while most dental care providers included in the study typically provide insurance coverage through the customers’ employer, DentaQuest largely provides government plans.” Their report is based on survey responses from 1,400+ dental plan members.

The Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits 2019 Annual Survey found that “among firms offering health benefits in 2019, 59% of small firms and 92% of large firms offer a dental insurance program to their workers separate from any plan included in their plan,” and that “sixty­three percent of firms offering a dental program to their workers make a contribution toward the cost of the coverage.”

The recently released 2020 Segal Health Plan Cost Trend Survey found that dental PPO plans were projected at 3.8% premium increases, dental maintenance organization plans at 3.5% increases, dental reference priced plans at 3.0% and dental FFS/indemnity plans at 4.1% increases. The report notes that dental benefits have "remained relatively unchanged for decades."

Here are the detailed results from the J.D. Power Dental Plan Satisfaction Report: