UnitedHealthcare vs Aetna

Both Aetna and UnitedHealthcare have earned high user star ratings for their dental plans from customer reviews on Best Company. Both offer plans for individuals, families, and employer groups. UnitedHealthcare stands out for its Dental Gen plans designed for seniors.

UnitedHealthcare logo
#1 UnitedHealthcare
5.3 Overall Score
4.0
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(80)
Aetna logo
#4 Aetna
4.7 Overall Score
4.0
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(63)

Overview

UnitedHealthcare

Plans Available

N/A

Customer Service Options

N/A

Time in Business

Undisclosed

Aetna

N/A

N/A

Undisclosed

Ratings

UnitedHealthcare

Overall Score
5.3 of 10
Review Score
4.0
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Value for Money
3.8
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Quality of Product or Service
3.9
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Company Trustworthiness
4.0
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Likely to Recommend
7.4 of 10

Aetna

4.7 of 10
4.0
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3.7
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3.7
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3.8
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6.7 of 10

Reviews

UnitedHealthcare

Number of Reviews
80
Review Breakdown
4.0
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1 star
8%
2 star
6%
3 star
16%
4 star
20%
5 star
50%

Aetna

63
4.0
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1 star
13%
2 star
10%
3 star
6%
4 star
13%
5 star
59%

Reviews for UnitedHealthcare

Helpful Favorable Review

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Joy Fulkerson

July 26th, 2024

DETAILS

I have been with UnitedHealthcare sense April 2016. They have taken such good care of me. One thing has changed which I do not like. They lowered the amount of money they give us for utility payments, food and over the counter medicine by half.

Helpful Critical Review

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Cam Ward

February 1st, 2024

DETAILS

Takes 2 hours for an advocate to answer the phone. I wanted to pay my bill and register but after talking to them I think it’s best for me to go somewhere els. Need to hire more people to answer the phones and more knowledgeable people. Booo

Reviews for Aetna

Helpful Favorable Review

star star star star star

roberto arcia

October 30th, 2021

DETAILS

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Review Source

I have had Aetna dental health insurance for over three years now. They offer a great variety of different plans when it comes to dental coverage and price. I will continue to be a loyal Aetna member in the future because of how good their coverage extends and how many offices actually take them as insurance. It is truly the best dental health insurance.

Helpful Critical Review

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justin shepherd

August 14th, 2024

DETAILS

They are honestly as bad as Isis You can pay your entire amount for a dental fee through premiums. They cover about half of what they claim they do. Highly recommend putting your money in the bank for the next big thing you have to do. They are about as useful as Water in a flood. I have literally had to pay more out-of-pocket then if I just save my money

The Final Word

While both Aetna and UnitedHealthcare offer dental insurance plans to individuals and families, Aetna only offers one dental insurance plan. If its Aetna Dental Direct® plan meets your needs, you don't need to look further. Aetna also offers a dental discount card Aetna® Vital Savings. This is not insurance. Instead, you pay a small monthly membership fee and receive discounts on dental services when you visit participating dentists.

In contrast, UnitedHealthcare makes it easy to get more specifics on its plans by entering your zip code. Once you enter your zip code, you'll see what plans are available in your area. You may find more dental plan options through UnitedHealthcare depending on your area.

UnitedHealthcare stands out for its Dental Gen plans. These plans are designed with seniors' unique needs in mind. For example, the plans include EPIC hearing coverage and allow you to add vision coverage to your plan as well. These plans are worth investigating further.

It's harder to choose between Aetna and UnitedHealthcare if you're an employer including dental insurance in your benefits package. Both companies offer plans with only in-network coverage and plans with in- and out-of-network coverage. 

Aetna's in-network plan option is a Dental Maintenance Organization (DMO), which means that all dental care is managed through each member's primary dentist. UnitedHealthcare offers a similar network structure with its select managed care dental plans. It also offers in-network only plans that do not have the managed care structure.

Aetna offers two plans with in- and out-of-network coverage: Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and Participating Dental Network (PDN) plans. UnitedHealthcare just offers PPO plans.

Aetna stands out from UnitedHealthcare for its dental indemnity group plans. These plans do not have set dental networks or require referrals. Some plans may have deductibles and annual maximums.

Both Aetna and UnitedHealthcare are good choices for dental insurance. If you're a senior, we recommend looking into UnitedHealthcare's Dental Gen plans. If you're an employer and want to offer an indemnity dental plan, Aetna is the way to go. If you're buying a dental insurance plan for yourself, you may find more options through UnitedHealthcare.

Top Choice

UnitedHealthcare Logo
UnitedHealthcare

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