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5.1

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: November 15th, 2024

MetLife is an established and trusted insurance company. It was founded in 1863 in New York City as National Union Life and Limb Insurance Company. Over the years, MetLife has grown to offer various kinds of insurance internationally. In the United States, MetLife offers life insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, auto insurance, and more.

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The Good

  • Two Kinds of Employer-Provided Dental Plans
  • Additional Insurance Available

Two Kinds of Employer-Provided Dental Plans

MetLife offers two kinds of plans to businesses: a Dental PPO Plan and a Dental HMO/Managed Care Plan.

The Dental HMO/Managed Care plans are available in California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. HMO stands for Health Maintenance Organization. With these plans, members do not have deductibles or claims forms. Members must choose a network-participating dentist when they enroll.

The PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plans allow members more freedom when choosing a dental care provider. They can see an in- or out-of-network dentist, though great discounts are available with in-network providers.

Additional Insurance Available

MetLife offers other kinds of insurance coverage and services that employers can include in their benefits package:

  • Group Accident and Health Insurance
  • Group Disability Insurance
  • Group Vision Insurance
  • Group Life Insurance
  • Auto and Home Group Insurance Program
  • Group Legal Services

Independent buyers can also purchase the following from MetLife:

  • Homeowners Insurance
  • Condo Insurance
  • Renters Insurance
  • Insurance for Landlords
  • Vision Insurance
  • Auto Insurance
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The Bad

  • One Kind of Dental Plan for Independent Buyers
  • Waiting Periods

One Kind of Dental Plan for Independent Buyers

MetLife only offers one kind of dental plan for independent buyers called MetLife TakeAlong DentalSM. This offering is a PPO and comes with three options:

  • High Option Benefit
  • Medium Option Benefit
  • Low Option Benefit

In addition to dental discounts, the MetLife TakeAlong DentalSM plan includes cost-sharing.

The Low Option Benefit offers 100 percent of treatment costs for preventive care, like cleanings and dental checkups, in- and out-of-network, 70 percent coverage for basic restorative care in- and out-of-network, and 50 percent of major restorative care in- and out-of-network. The maximum benefit for this plan is $1000 per person and has a $75 (individual) or $225 (family) deductible.

The Medium Option Benefit has the same covered services as the Low Option Benefit. The maximum benefit is $1500 per person. The deductible is $50 (individual) and $150 (family).

The High Option Benefit has the same benefit as the Medium Option Benefit, except basic restorative services are covered at 80 percent in- and out-of-network. The High Option Benefit also includes 50 percent coverage for child orthodontia with a lifetime maximum benefit of $1000 per person. The maximum benefit for the year is $2000 per person. The deductible is $25 (individual) and $75 (family).

Interested customers should contact MetLife directly for premium cost information to get a better sense of how much they will pay for a dental insurance policy.

Waiting Periods

All MetLife TakeAlong DentalSM options come with a six month waiting period for basic services and a year waiting period of major and orthodontic services.

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The Bottom Line

MetLife is a reliable insurance provider. It is an especially great option for employers seeking to offer their employees benefits. Interested employers should contact MetLife directly to learn more about their dental insurance policy options. In addition to dental insurance, MetLife offers life insurance, accident and health insurance, and more. Employers can provide a comprehensive benefits package to their employees through MetLife.

MetLife’s options are fewer for independent buyers, which can make it trickier to find the right coverage and budget fit. Other dental insurance companies offer more plan options to independent buyers. Consumers need to contact MetLife directly to learn more about availability and premium rates.

If you’re an employer providing benefits, MetLife is a solid choice.

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Star Rating

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3.7

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93 Reviews

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5 grade

46%

4 grade

20%

3 grade

9%

2 grade

8%

1 grade

17%

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Thomas Cutter

While MetLife has decent or even good coverage, their business practices are evil. They kept denying my dental claim because the dentist submitted me as "Tom" instead of "Thomas". This has taken over 17 months to finally figure out. Who does that other than some greedy blood-sucking a-holes who do not want to pay what they owe. Truly disgusted with them.

4 months ago

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CarolinaDi Raleigh, NC

MetLife makes every excuse not to pay. They have lots of providers on their online site, but most of the providers listed are not actually Network providers for MetLife. When I called MetLife to tell them about all the misinformation, they told me it was up to the providers to let MetLife know that they aren't in the network - ridiculous. They know who the in network providers are when it comes to paying claims. They need to make sure the list is accurate. I went to an endodontist who was on their list, but they wouldn't pay because they said I was treated in the wrong office. The office they told me I had to go to wasn't even open. For fillings they pay based on a silver filling instead of a composite (tooth colored) filling. So cheap and unfair.

2 years ago

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Gerald Cecil Chapel Hill, NC

They pay promptly for cleanings and X-rays and that's about it, so not worth the cost IMO. Nothing back for my crowns and implants over the years even when necessary because of an adjacent bridge. One implant was for a failed root canal, they wanted another that the OS said would almost certainly fail again. When you send X-rays and supporting documentation, you wait then they decline again. Daughter got nothing back for wisdom teeth removal.

1 year ago

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Mike Ika West Valley City, UT

I had MetLife Dental for many years. My biggest complaint with them was the Max limits per year. Unlike medical where there is a max out of pocket, MetLife dental has a maximum limit to the procedures they’ll perform in a year. One year I needed two crowns and had 5 or 6 cavities. Unfortunately due to the max limit, I had to space these procedure over the course of 2 years in order for insurance to cover everything. Had I not spaced it out that way, I would have had to cover all the cavities on my own.

5 years ago

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David Dilley Ocala, FL

Payments are low and hardly any dentists are in their program - even if you have fairly major dental issues it is probably best not to have the insurance

4 years ago

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Dale L Farmer Littleton, CO

I feel that their fees are way under what they should be and as a result dentist do not do their best because they need to do the work so quickly.

5 years ago

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Philip Hatch Montclair, NJ

Website is very bad; won't cover a crown for less then TEN years regardless of the reason

2 years ago