Tell us who needs coverage and what's going on. We'll price every Idaho plan for your household and show you the ones that actually fit.
Ages matter — Blue Cross and Delta price every person separately.
This is the biggest factor. Be honest — nobody sees your answer.
This one is worth real money — prior coverage can erase a 12-month wait entirely.
Orthodontia is the hardest benefit to find on an individual plan, so it changes the answer a lot.
| Planand what it covers | Monthlyyour household | Annual maximummost the plan pays | Wait for crownsbefore major work |
|---|
Dental plans don't cover glasses or contacts — that's a separate policy. VSP is the largest vision network in the country, with no waiting periods.
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Dental insurance isn't really insurance the way health insurance is. Health insurance protects you from catastrophe. Dental insurance is closer to a discount program with a spending cap. Once that lands, everything else gets easier.
A cracked tooth feels like an emergency, but on most plans a crown sits in Bucket 3 — a 12-month wait before the plan pays anything toward it. If you already know you need major work, the waiting period matters more than the premium. Two ways around it: buy a plan with no waiting period (Ameritas, Delta's Clear Plan, or a Blue Cross copay plan), or use prior coverage to get the wait waived. That's why the tool asks.
A $1,400 crown, in network, on a plan you've held over a year. Illustration only — your dentist's fee and your plan's allowed amount will differ.
You pay $725. $50 deductible, then the plan covers 50% of the remaining $1,350 and you cover the other $675.
You pay $550. $50 deductible plus a fixed $500 crown copay. No percentage to calculate, and you know the number before you sit down.
You pay $1,400. No network discount, no plan contribution. Even the discount alone is worth something.
What you pay monthly whether you go or not. The number everyone compares, and the least useful on its own.
What you pay before the plan shares costs. Usually $50–$90 per person, and usually not applied to cleanings.
Your share afterward. A percentage of the bill, or a flat dollar amount per procedure.
The most the plan pays in a year. A cap on them, not on you. Anything past it is yours.
How long before certain work is covered. Commonly 6 months basic, 12 months major.
In-network dentists charge 25–50% less by contract. Check yours before enrolling — it's the most common regret.
Side by side
Each is genuinely right for somebody and wrong for somebody else.
| Blue Cross | Delta Dental | Ameritas | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network in Idaho | Most Idaho dentists | Largest — about 9 of 10 dentists | Smallest, but deeper discounts |
| Waiting periods | 6 / 12 months, except copay plans (none) | 6 / 12 months, waived with prior coverage. Clear Plan has none | None on any plan |
| Coverage starts | 1st of next month | 1st of next month | As soon as tomorrow |
| Priced by | Each person's age | Each person's age | Household size |
| Braces | Under-19 on ACA plans, medically necessary only | Prime covers adults and children | Boost covers children under 19 |
| Highest annual max | $2,500 | $2,000 | $3,500 after year one |
| Worth knowing | True copay plans — every procedure has a fixed price | Health through Oral Wellness adds benefits if a risk assessment says you need them | Preventive doesn't count against your maximum. Hearing aids on Complete |
Documents
Check your dentist is in network before you enroll. It takes ninety seconds and prevents the most common complaint.
Nine plans, from cleanings-only at about $22 a month to a $2,500 annual maximum. The copay plans have no waiting periods and fix every procedure at a set price — $75 a filling, $500 a crown, $1,250 an implant.
The largest network in Idaho and the only individual plan here that covers adult braces. Waiting periods are waived if you've had 12 months of coverage recently. The Clear Plan skips them entirely and uses set dollar prices instead of percentages.
No waiting periods at all, and coverage can start as soon as tomorrow. Benefits begin lower and step up after twelve months. Preventive care doesn't count against your annual maximum, so the full cap stays available for expensive work. Care Complete adds hearing aid coverage.
Vision
Vision is a separate policy. All three VSP plans share a $15 exam copay, a $25 glasses copay and a $150 frame allowance ($170 on featured brands), with 20% off anything over. No waiting periods, and a 12-month contract term.
The lowest premium and the only one with no association fee. $150 covers contacts and the fitting exam, plus 15% off that exam.
For contact lens wearers: the fitting exam is covered outright rather than discounted. Includes an $18 annual association fee.
Pick one upgrade each year: premium progressives covered in full, light-reactive lenses covered in full, +$80 frames, or +$80 contacts. Worth it if you wear progressives, which otherwise run $0–$175.
Questions
Each carrier runs its own enrollment system and there's no way to pass your choice into theirs. The link takes you to the right carrier with your agent attached, but the plan selection starts fresh. That's why the pop-up shows the exact plan name before you leave — screenshot it.
No. Premiums are filed with the state and are identical whether you buy through an agent, over the phone, or on the carrier's website. Our compensation comes from the carrier. What you get for free is someone who knows the plans and answers the phone later.
Yes. Individual dental and vision have no open enrollment window — that's a health insurance rule that doesn't apply here. Blue Cross and Delta start the 1st of the following month; Ameritas can start as soon as tomorrow.
Most plans make you wait twelve months for major work, so it comes down to Ameritas PrimeStar (no wait, but year-one coverage is lower), Delta's Clear Plan (no wait, flat $500 crown), or a Blue Cross copay plan (no wait, flat $500 crown). If you had coverage in the last 30–60 days a fourth option opens up: a standard Delta or Ameritas plan with the wait waived, which usually beats all three. The tool above accounts for this — but call us and we'll check the math with you.
It's a cap on them. A $1,500 annual maximum means that's the most the insurance company pays toward your care that year. After that, everything is yours at full price. This is why splitting a big treatment plan across two benefit years — half in December, half in January — is such a useful move.
Usually the difference between paying 20% and paying 50%, on top of losing the network discount that would have lowered the bill first. On some plans out-of-network care isn't covered at all. Check the provider directory before you enroll, and if they're not there, ask your office which plans they do take.
Rarely, and never generously. Delta's GrinWell Prime covers adults and children at 50% with a $1,000 lifetime maximum after a six-month wait. Ameritas Care Boost covers children under 19 — 15% day one, rising to 50% after a year, same $1,000 lifetime cap. Blue Cross covers medically necessary orthodontia for under-19s on its ACA plans with prior authorization.
Yes, and many people should. Medicare Parts A and B don't cover routine dental at all, and Medicare Advantage dental is often capped low. Medicare's enrollment periods don't apply — buy a standalone plan any month. Ameritas Care Complete is worth a look because it adds hearing aid coverage: 50% up to $200 per ear day one, $400 after a year, plus a $75 annual hearing exam.
Yes. The Blue Cross ACA plans are built around pediatric dental and include an out-of-pocket maximum for children — $450 per child, $900 for two or more — which adult plans don't have. There are no waiting periods for under-19s on those plans either.
Working with an agent
You can enroll straight from this page without ever speaking to us. But if you want help, here is exactly what you get and what it costs.
It costs you nothingPremiums are filed with the state. You pay the same with an agent or without one.
We help you enrollCall and we'll walk the application with you so nothing costs you a waiting period.
And we're here afterClaim denied? Card never came? Question in 2028? Call us. Still no charge.
Your agent
Independent insurance agent in Pocatello. We represent every carrier on this page, so there's no reason to steer you toward one over another — only toward the one that fits. None of it costs you anything: not the advice, not the help enrolling, and not the call you make three years from now.
The tool above handles most people. Call if:
No charge for any of it.
Important. This tool is a summary prepared by Real Benefit Solutions to help you compare options. It is not a contract, a certificate of insurance, or a guarantee of coverage. The policy, certificate and schedule of benefits issued by the carrier control in all cases and contain the complete description of benefits, limitations, exclusions and conditions. Where this page and a carrier document disagree, the carrier document governs.
Rates are 2026 individual monthly premiums published by each carrier and are subject to change. Blue Cross of Idaho and Delta Dental of Idaho price by age band. Ameritas PrimeStar rates shown are Idaho (Area 7) MAC base-plan rates effective 4/1/2026, priced by household tier rather than age. VSP rates are the published Idaho rates. Recommendations are general guidance, not a determination of suitability — your exact benefits, waiting periods and premium are set by the carrier during enrollment.
Blue Cross of Idaho is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Delta Dental, Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. and Vision Service Plan are independent companies. All product names, logos and brands are property of their respective owners and are used with permission for identification only.
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