MetLife Tricare Dental Program: Did You Know?

“This post was sponsored by the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central.”

This post is the third, and final, post of the MetLife TRICARE Ambassador Program. Over the past few months I shared about the change in premiums and dental issues affecting children. For this last post I will be highlighting some facts from the program.

March is "Did You Know" month from the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program. During this month MetLife is reiterating the benefits of the TRICARE Dental Program.
In case you are new to the military and don't know about the benefits of this dental program, here are several things to be aware of:

- This program has one of the largest civilian dental networks with over 250,000 dental locations (there is bound to be a dentist in your area who is part of this network - family dentists as well as pediatric dentists). This is a big plus to have so many dental offices in network since military family can not get dental care on military bases.

- Despite the fact that family members can not use on-base dental offices, families are NOT automatically enrolled in the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program; this is completely separate from your TRICARE medical enrollment. Enrollment in the dental program is voluntary ... and can be easily done online, by phone (1-855-638-8371), or filling out the enrollment form and mailing it in (or faxing it to 1-855-763-1337).

- Some benefits of the program are knowing that the annual premiums are competitively prices, no annual deductibles or co-payments, and having low, or even no-cost share on many of the dental services - which include preventative and diagnostic.

- Here is something I wasn't aware of: The program has an Accidental Annual Maximum of $1200 per beneficiary per plan year which can help you be prepared for any unexpected tooth injuries that might occur! Treatment and services may be covered and this annual maximum is separate from the $1300 plan annual maximum per beneficiary per plan year.

- The MetLife TRICARE Dental Program will coordinate with another supplemental dental insurance carrier, but it's always a good idea to compare other plans to the TDP.

You can find additional resources from the TDP on Facebook and Twitter.  

Children's Dental Health Awareness Month

“This post was sponsored by the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central.”

On behalf of the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program and as an ambassador with Influence Central I am sharing a blog post highlighting that February is Children's Dental Health Awareness Month and reminding the military community about a few important dental benefits that are available to dependent children and spouses of active duty members and reservists. MetLife is also sharing a couple of issues, guidelines, and preventative measures on some teeth-related issues that can affect children (and adults!).

Cavities and teeth grinding!!

No one really likes going to the dentist, but some experiences are worse than others. I was a kid who hated going to the dentist because it seemed at every visit they were either filling a cavity or finding a new cavity. Getting a filling seemed a lot more involved back then than it does now - and I speak from experience as I still had to have fillings put in as an adult. It hasn't been for lack of proper tooth brushing or taking care of my teeth either - then or now - it's just been my not-so-great-luck with cavities.

My husband on the other hand, knock on wood, hasn't had the teeth issues that I have. Since genetics do play a part with cavities I am hoping our kids take after him. So far, again knock on wood, that has been the case. Neither Kayla nor Lucas have had any negative experiences at the dentist, thus far, and for that I am grateful.

Kayla has had some anxiety because of how she feels towards anything medical and the unknown of what exactly is going to happen or what they are going to do to her. Thankfully we've been at a wonderful children's dental practice where the staff have all been patient with Kayla at each visit. So much so that they even successfully applied sealants to her teeth...in one visit...we almost had to come back to do the other side of her mouth, but they managed to finish before she couldn't handle it any more. Lucas got sealants last year as well.

What is so important about sealants? Research has shown that sealants help prevent cavities on teeth with pits and grooves;  it's recommended that sealants be placed on the permanent molar teeth (usually the first set erupts around age 6 and the second set around age 12). The process is short and (relatively) easy as it doesn't involve drilling.

Another issue is teeth grinding. Several years ago at a dental appointment it was pointed out to me that I most likely clench and/or grind my teeth based on some receding gum lines. I had a custom mouth guard made to help prevent anymore issues with teeth grinding.

Unfortunately my kids do seem to be taking after me in this respect. I've heard Lucas grinding his teeth at night on a few occasions and Kayla's dental visits have shown that she is doing this too as it is showing on her teeth (although I have rarely heard her do this).

Some tips to try and help decrease teeth grinding include
- decrease child's stress, especially before bedtime
- try massage to relax muscles
- drink plenty of water as dehydration may be linked to teeth grinding
- older children may need a mouth guard for nighttime teeth grinding

A few of the benefits from the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program include
- 2 cleanings, exams, and flouride applications a year (and the dentist can monitor the teeth if there is grinding going on!) at no cost
- sealants for children has only a 20% co-payment
- coverage for a child up to age 21, or 23 if full-time student
- space maintainers are covered under age 19
- athletic mouth guard (one per consecutive 12-months) is covered at 50% cost share

To enroll in the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program you can do so online, over the phone at 1-855-638-8371 or mail the Enrollment Authorization form to MetLife TRICARE Dental Program, P.O. Box 14185, Lexington KY, 40512.

For more resources see the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

MetLife TRICARE Dental Program

“This post was sponsored by the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central.”

I am again partnering with Influence Central's Ambassador Program for the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program to help bring awareness to military families of the overall program, the benefits and ease of enrolling, and new premium updates for 2016.

There are certain events that happen at the beginning of every new year - besides making resolutions and filing taxes! - like getting up-to-date on health insurance benefits since that can be a time when premiums are raised.

The MetLife TRICARE Dental Program is a dental insurance program is for active duty family members (the active duty sponsor receives dental care through the base dental clinic) and National Guard and Reserve members and their families.

Effective Feb 1 the premiums for this dental insurance have increased slightly, but still remain pretty low-cost.

For an active duty single member (typically for spouse only, or a child only) enrollment the monthly premium has gone from $11.30 to $11.68. If it is a family (more than one person enrolling) the monthly premium has gone from $33.88 to $34.68.

See the chart below for the complete listing of premiums based on military status.

If you need enroll in the MetLife Tricare Dental Program there are a few ways to do so: online, over the phone at 1-855-638-8371 (and if you are overseas 1-855-638-8372), and also returning the Enrollment Authorization form via Fax (1-855-763-1337) or mail to MetLife TRICARE Dental Program, P.O. Box 14185, Lexington KY, 40512.

Keep in mind that the effective date of coverage will vary depending on when the first payment is received. If it is received by the 20th of the month, it will be processed for the first day of the month following the date of receipt. If it is received after the 20th, it will be processed for the first day of the second month after date of receipt.

The first initial premium payment is required to be submitted with the initial enrollment.

Keep up-to-date with the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program's Facebook and Twitter pages for latest news, tips, and information.

 

New Premiums for MetLife TRICARE Dental Program

“I participated in an Ambassador program on behalf of Influence Central #IC for the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program #MetLifeTDP. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

I've previously written about the option active duty military family members have for dental insurance through the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program here and here. This is my third, and final, post wrapping up this Ambassador program highlighting the benefits of the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program. 

With a new year comes an increase in premiums. This February 1st enrollees in the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program will see a slight increase in their monthly premiums. The premiums are based on a single, or family, rate. Rates will also differ based on active duty, selected Reserve IRR Non-Mobilization, and IRR Mobilization only.

For active duty family members the rate for a family will be $33.88 which is an increase of .99 a month. The MetLife TRICARE Dental Program is an inexpensive and cost-effective dental plan for military families. It is also convenient as you can keep this dental plan regardless of if you move between states. The following is a chart showing the premiums.

While the dental plan is part of the military health plan benefit it is not an automatic enrollment. Family members must enroll separately to obtain this coverage and the sponsor must have at least 12 months left of active duty. One way to enroll is through the online enrollment system. Initial enrollment is a 12-month commitment, but after that it is on a month-to-month basis with easy payroll deductions to pay the monthly premium.

The MetLife TRICARE Dental Plan has worked well for our family through moves to 3 different states and while my husband was deployed. It was convenient, and stress-free, to not worry about enrolling in a dental plan when we moved to a new location - our coverage stayed constant and consistent from dental provider to dental provider. That was one of the most important benefits of the program for me, to have continuous coverage and not have to worry about signing up again at each new assignment. I also valued the coverages such as free exams and cleanings every six months, annual x-rays, and the low cost-share fees on needed dental work.

MetLife TRICARE is works to ensure that members stay educated about dental health and important dental care practices. You can connect with them on the TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) Administered by MetLife Facebook page, the MetLifeTDP Twitter page, and by signing up for the Dental HealthMatters Newsletter.

 

MetLife TRICARE Dental Program

“I participated in an Ambassador program on behalf of Influence Central  (#IC) for the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

 
As this year is coming to a close my kids and I just finished up all of our routine, and not so routine, dental appointments. With my husband's retirement from the U.S. Air Force in our immediate future I'm thankful that we've been fortunate to have great dentists, and dental coverage, through the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program. One of the easy ways to enroll is through the online enrollment process.

At my last dental cleaning my dentist found one of my amalgam fillings had a tiny crack in it and needed to be replaced. He said over time this is a high possibility with these types of fillings - they simply don't last forever. I had several amalgam fillings and most of those were from my teen years so they've been in my mouth for too many years!

Knowing that my husband would be retired come the new year and that we wouldn't have our current dental plan anymore, I started thinking about getting all those amalgam fillings replaced by the end of the year and while we still had our MetLife Tricare Dental plan. I wanted to have this done because I had no idea what our next insurance would cover, or how much, or if we would even have dental insurance. Why not just get it taken care of now?

The MetLife TRICARE Dental Program has low-cost monthly premiums and cost-share rates (based on rank) for a variety of dental procedures. For an active duty family the monthly premium is $32.89 (and single is only $10.96.). Although the rates are increasing in Feb 2015 it is a very minimal rate. The new family premium will be $33.88. Compare that with the military retiree dental plan of just over $100 a month for premiums and I've heard many families say they elect to not have the retiree dental plan because it's just cheaper to pay out of pocket for the routine cleanings.

Fortunately MetLife approved the request for me to replace all my amalgam fillings with composite fillings (and it's so nice not to have all that silver in my mouth anymore!) and my cost share for the procedures was 20%. I was grateful to have this done with MetLife TRICARE Dental program because we didn't know who my husband's next employer would be and what kind of dental coverage we would have, or how much the cost share might be for that procedure.

The #MetLifeTDP also does a great job of keeping military members educated about dental health and important dental care practices through different communication channels. One way is that members can sign up for the Dental HealthMatters Newsletter to receive information such as benefits, updates, announcements, and tips. Another way to stay up-to-date is via the TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) Administered by MetLife Facebook and/or Twitter pages where you can learn some interesting facts about the program such as MetLife offers a TRICARE Dental Program Survivor Benefit. (The Government pays dental premiums and dental coverage for eligible surviving family members under the TRICARE Dental Program survivor benefit. 100% of the TDP Survivor Benefit premium is paid for children until age 21 (or 23 if student) and for spouses for 3 years beginning on the date of the sponsor’s death.).

In addition to providing dental coverage to spouses and children of active duty members, the TRICARE Dental Program also provides coverage to Reserves and National Guard members and their families. And speaking of the National Guard - their birthday was Dec 13, Happy 378th Birthday to the National Guard!

Softcard Makes Paying by Phone Easy

“I participated in an Influencer Activation (#IC) on behalf of Influence Central for #Softcard. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

It is amazing how much we are able to do with our cell phones now - think about how far technology has advanced from when cell phones were even first a new thing! You almost don't need to carry anything else with you since you can do almost anything with your cell phone and an app. You can arm your house's alarm, lock and unlock your house/garage doors, access your bank accounts to transfer money and deposit checks just by taking a picture with your phone, store all store loyalty card accounts on your phone so you don't have to carry all those key fobs with you ... and you can pay for your purchases at the register just by holding your phone up to a scanner device.

Softcard is available as a free download for Android on Google Play for select phones, and the Windows Play Store for select carries and phones. It is an app that makes paying at the register an easy process. The app allows you to pay at the register with a tap, and then some. With Softcard you can also save with special offers and store your loyalty, membership, and reward cards. I have not had a chance to load my store reward cards on Softcard, but plan to do so as soon as I can so I can have that convenience as well.

I was a little hesitant to use my phone to pay at the register since obviously it means your bank or credit card account is connected to this app, but Softcard uses state-of-the-art technology and layers of security to protect your account information. When you first use the app and go through the set-up procedures you will pick a 4-digit PIN that you it will prompt you for every time you open the app. If your phone is lost or stolen a call to your carrier or a visit to the Softcard website will disable the app on your phone.

When you open the app and click on the drop down menu there are several options, one of which is stores, this will show you a list of stores in your area that accept Softcard as a way of payment (there are over 275,000 stores accepting Softcard). Some of the stores will also have a symbol by them to indicate deals or specials for that store.

Since this does involve bank or credit accounts the app is not ready-for-use immediately upon installation. You do have to go through a few steps to get it all set-up. I have a Droid Razr M that is a couple of years old; I did have to go to Verizon to get a newer/updated SIM card before I could use the app. The SIM card was free to get it replaced so that was no problem.

Softcard uses participating credit cards from American Express, Chase, or Wells Fargo, or you can set up an American Express Serve account that you can add money to with your preferred debit or credit card or bank account. I went through the process of setting up a Serve account, which is free and has no monthly or annual fees if set up through the Smartphone app. Once I set that up I added money to it using my preferred credit card and then I was ready to try this out for the first time.

I used Softcard for payment at Walgreens a couple of times. The first time I used the app I used the function to search for a store and found out the Walgreens right around the corner accepted this type of payment. I needed to buy a last-minute gift for a child on an Angel Tree at my hair dresser's salon and figured going to Walgreens would be an easy way to try out Softcard for the first time while buying this gift. I was pleased with the experience and had no problems with it - it was easy and convenient to use.

I switch back and forth between a couple of purses and am constantly having to remember to check the purse I'm using to be sure I have my credit card(s), license, ID, or whatever else I may need. It was so easy to stand at the register with my phone in hand and not have to worry about looking through my purse/wallet to pull out my credit card and swipe it. Instead I just held the back of my phone up to the device above the credit card machine and it beeped once to indicate it registered the payment. That was it. So easy and quick.You can touch the card and it flips to the back side to show your remaining balance.

The current promotion through Softcard also enables me to earn $1 back each time I 'tap to pay' through the end of the year.

Here is a quick video of the mascot Tappy explaining Softcard.

Rosetta Stone Kids Reading Review

"I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Rosetta Stone. I received a product and a promotional item to thank me for participating."

I am always willing to try new and different kids' reading programs to use at home with Kayla. While she has progressed in reading over the past year she still has a way to go with working on fluency and sounding out words she doesn't know. Anything to encourage her to read and practice (although I'm glad to see her more willing to pick up a book and read more so than she's done in the past.)

Rosetta Stone - well-known for their successful products teaching foreign languages - has a kids reading program called Rosetta Stone Kids Reading.

Rosetta Stone partnered with reading experts at Lexia Learning to create this Kids Reading Program. The program is geared for kids ages 3-7. It is designed to help kids develop core literacy skills in an engaging and effective way.

I like that the program is research-proven and self-paced with engaging and interactive experiences tailored for each child. Each child can have their own profile and set their account to the level that is best for them.

The lessons incorporate phonological awareness, phonics, comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary. The user can move through the different levels by completing assignments and being accompanied by Lingos. The Lingos are a lively bunch of friends that love to tell stories and kids join them on skill-building adventures such as sounding out words, matching rhyming pairs, reading comprehension, and more.

The Lingos give feedback on each correct and incorrect answer. My only complaint about this is the sound they make for correct answers gets annoying to hear (for me anyway) very quickly. I wish that when they get the answer correct they could move on to the next question or have a visual high-five. It hasn't seemed to bother my kids to hear that noise, but as a parent I could do without it.

Although Lucas is 6 and at the age this is recommended for, his reading skills are above his age and grade level. While this product isn't exactly helping him along with his reading (because he is not a beginner reader) he is enjoying using this and he told me that he does like it. He likes the accomplishment of finishing the levels and there are spelling games that he likes doing as well. If he wasn't already reading above his grade level I can see how this would be a very beneficial program to incorporate along with what a typical Kindergartner and 1st grader are learning in school. The comprehension is helpful to keep reinforcing that skill as well.

Kayla, while older, as I mentioned - is below age and grade level for reading. This is geared for kids younger than her, but she, too, is enjoying it. She likes the positive feedback she is getting and I can hear if she is getting too many answers in a row wrong and ask her what she isn't understanding or concentrating on the questions.

They each use it for about 15-20 min a day, a few days a week to encourage, supplement, and reinforce reading and comprehension skills. I like that I can also log in and see the progress they've made by seeing what levels they've completed.

Parents can get a free trial of the first level for their kids and see what this reading program is all about.