Can a person who has Medicaid buy a discounted dental insurance plan?

Question

We live in Arkansas. My dad has Medicaid. However, it turns out most dentists do not accept Medicaid, and those that do, provide a limited number of services . So, I tried to purchase a dental plan for my dad at healthcare.gov, but they told me that he was not eligible and had to use his Medicaid.

So it doesn't make sense for me: if my dad was making let's say $10,000 a year, he would be able to purchase a discounted dental plan, right ? Why don't they sell the same plan to a no income person?

He can't use Medicaid, because it sucks! It blows my mind: if one makes little money, then she/he can purchase a discounted dental plan. But if one doesn't make any money, she/he is not eligible to purchase the same dental plan . Is that how it works ? So a person with no income must pay the full price, and can't get a discounted insurance as folks with the low income :( :( :(

Answer 1

If Medicaid is not helping with the dental bills in your area there are still options available to you. You can always purchase a private dental plan. There are many carriers out there that supply these and they generally cost 30-50 dollars per month for an individual.

If you cannot afford one of these, you can utilize a site, such as NeedyMeds (https://www.needymeds.org/dental-clinics) to search for a free dental office or a low cost dental office in your area.

And I am assuming by discount you mean "subsidized plans." The reason people with no income are not allowed to purchase these is because they are not contributing in taxes to help pay for these plans.