One of the most common surprises I hear from self-employed clients in DeLand, Orlando, and across Central Florida goes something like this: “Wait, my new ACA plan doesn’t cover my teeth?” It’s a fair question, and the answer trips up a lot of people who are used to employer coverage bundling everything together. If you’re self-employed and shopping for your own health insurance, dental and vision are almost always separate purchases. The good news is that filling those gaps is straightforward once you know where to look, and you have more options than you might think.
Why Dental and Vision Aren’t Part of Your ACA Health Plan
Under the Affordable Care Act, dental coverage for adults is not one of the ten Essential Health Benefits that marketplace plans are required to include. Pediatric dental is required for kids under 19, but adult dental and adult vision are both optional add-ons. That’s true whether you’re buying a Florida Blue plan, an Ambetter plan, a Molina plan, or an Oscar plan on healthcare.gov. Your medical premium covers doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, and the other core categories — but your teeth and your eyes are handled separately, just like they often are even with employer coverage.
Option 1: Standalone Dental Plans on the ACA Marketplace
When you shop for a health plan on healthcare.gov, you’ll also see an option to shop for standalone dental plans (SADPs) in the same session. In Florida, there are typically close to a dozen insurers offering these marketplace dental plans, and individual adult premiums generally run somewhere between $15 and $50 a month depending on the plan design and your county. These plans usually come with an annual benefit maximum in the $1,000 to $2,500 range, a deductible around $50 to $100, and waiting periods of six to twelve months before major work like crowns or root canals is covered at full benefit. One important detail my clients are often surprised by: premium tax credits (subsidies) only apply to your medical plan. They do not reduce the cost of a standalone dental plan, so you’ll pay that dental premium in full no matter your income.
Option 2: Standalone Vision Plans
Vision works similarly. You can pick up a standalone vision plan through healthcare.gov, or you can go straight to a vision carrier like VSP, EyeMed, or Davis Vision and enroll directly, often for less hassle. Vision plans tend to run $10 to $25 a month and typically cover one comprehensive eye exam per year plus an allowance toward frames, lenses, or contacts. If you wear glasses or contacts and get an annual exam like clockwork, a vision plan usually pays for itself. If you rarely go to the eye doctor, you might come out ahead paying out of pocket instead.
Option 3: Bundled Dental/Vision With a Health Plan
Occasionally a carrier will bundle limited dental or vision benefits into an individual health plan, but in the Florida individual market this is the exception, not the rule. Don’t count on it — always check the plan’s summary of benefits directly rather than assuming coverage is included.
Option 4: Discount Dental Plans (Not Insurance)
This is an option a lot of self-employed folks overlook. Discount dental plans — like Cigna Dental Savings or Aetna Dental Access — aren’t insurance at all. You pay a monthly or annual membership fee, and in exchange you get a discounted rate (often 10% to 50% off) at participating dentists. There’s no annual maximum, no waiting period, and no claims process. If you mainly need routine cleanings and the occasional filling and want to avoid waiting periods altogether, this can be a smart, low-cost supplement, especially in the months before a standalone dental plan’s major-work waiting period ends.
Option 5: Community Health Centers and Dental Schools
Florida has a strong network of federally qualified health centers and dental school clinics that offer care on a sliding fee scale based on income. If you’re between coverage or need a lower-cost option for a specific procedure, these clinics — including dental school clinics affiliated with programs in Gainesville and Fort Lauderdale — are worth a call. Wait times can be longer, but the savings on major work can be significant.
Option 6: Use Your FSA or HSA
If you’ve paired a high-deductible health plan with a Health Savings Account, or you have a Flexible Spending Account, both can be used to pay for eligible dental and vision expenses — cleanings, fillings, orthodontia, eye exams, glasses, and contacts all generally qualify. This is one of the most tax-efficient ways to cover routine dental and vision costs, since you’re paying with pre-tax dollars either way.
What This Looks Like in Practice for Florida’s Self-Employed
Here’s how I typically walk clients through it: if you have a family and expect routine cleanings plus the occasional filling, a standalone marketplace dental plan in the $25–$40/month range is often worth it once you factor in two adults’ worth of preventive visits. If you’re single, healthy, and rarely go to the dentist beyond a yearly cleaning, a discount dental plan at $10–$20/month may save you more than a full insurance plan would, especially while you’re waiting out a major-work waiting period. For vision, if anyone in your household wears glasses or contacts, a standalone vision plan almost always pencils out in your favor given the frame and lens allowances.
- Standalone dental via healthcare.gov: roughly $15–$50/month, no subsidy eligible, waiting periods apply to major work
- Standalone vision via healthcare.gov or direct carriers (VSP, EyeMed, Davis Vision): roughly $10–$25/month
- Discount dental plans: roughly $8–$25/month, no waiting periods, discounted rates instead of claims
- Community health centers and dental school clinics: sliding-scale fees based on income
- FSA/HSA funds: pre-tax dollars for eligible dental and vision expenses
Every self-employed household in Volusia County, Orange County, or anywhere else in Florida has a slightly different mix of needs, budget, and risk tolerance, and picking the right combination of dental, vision, and medical coverage is exactly the kind of decision where an independent broker earns their keep — at no extra cost to you. If you want help comparing standalone dental and vision options alongside your ACA medical plan for 2026, reach out to Michael McAllister and the team at Choice Health Insurance Brokers. We work with Florida Blue, Ambetter, Molina, Oscar, and other carriers across the state, and we’ll help you build a coverage package that actually fits how you use care, not just what sounds good on paper.