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 Principal quote — carriers price each company by census, ZIP and design.
Plan design
- Annual max: $1,000–$2,000 (filed) + Maximum Accumulation rollover
- Minimum group: writes employer-paid groups down to 2 enrolled (25 in MA)
- Waiting periods: none on filed plans; clean carrier-switch takeover
- Network: 135,000+ dentists, all 50 states
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 genuinely tiny business (2–3 people) that most carriers will not write.
Strongest angle: The cleanest "switch carriers without anyone losing ground" story: no waits, deductibles waived from the prior carrier, max refreshed at takeover.
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. Published maxes top out at $2,000 (no $5,000). Filed orthodontia is child-only. Rollover is forfeited if no claim is filed in a year. Premiums quoted per company.
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