Modeled cost
What it costs: 10 employees, 50% employer split
Employer cost, this team
$160/mo · about $1,920/yr
$16/employee/mo
Employer pays 50% of the employee-only premium; dependents are employee-paid (the most common structure).
| Who's covered | Premium | Employee pays |
|---|---|---|
| Just the employee | $32/mo | $16/mo |
| Employee + spouse | $64/mo | $48/mo |
| Employee + child(ren) | $61/mo | $45/mo |
| Employee + family | $93/mo | $77/mo |
Illustrative mid market-average estimate (NADP/KFF/eHealth/MoneyGeek). Not a Cigna quote — carriers price each company by census, ZIP and design.
Plan design
- Annual max: $750 / $1,500 / $2,000 (employer-chosen)
- Network: ~149,000 dentists with a deeper-discount Advantage tier
- Coinsurance: 100 / 80 / 50 (90 / 60 on richer "Plus" designs)
- Rules: 2–99 band, 50% contribution/participation, 12-month rate guarantee, guaranteed issue
Want to flex the headcount, contribution, salary and turnover assumptions? Open the interactive calculator.
Why it pays off
The value for your team
Best for: The owner who wants a trusted national brand with predictable, no-surprise small-group rules.
Strongest angle: The two-tier Advantage network quietly steers patients to the deepest-discount dentists, stretching every premium dollar.
For a 10-person firm, voluntary turnover quietly costs roughly $12,000 to $28,000 a year (employees × ~13% turnover × salary × ~25% replacement cost). This plan runs about $1,920 a year for the team, so it only has to nudge retention slightly to pay for itself. See the cost of turnover for the full picture.
Honest caveat. Maxes are modest; base tiers often exclude both ortho and implants (they depend on a richer tier). No $5,000 plan; ortho and implant waits are not waivable. Premiums quoted per company.
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