Dental and Vision Coverage Feels Like an Afterthought—Until It’s the Only Thing That’s Not Covered

Key Takeaways

• Dental and vision care often fall outside traditional retirement healthcare planning, yet both services are critical to long-term well-being.

• In 2025, most public sector retirees must actively enroll in supplemental dental and vision plans, as standard retirement health benefits rarely include them.

Why Dental and Vision Coverage Should Be Part of Your Retirement Planning

When you think about retirement healthcare, your focus probably shifts immediately to hospital stays, doctor visits, and prescription drugs. These are undeniably important. But there’s a gap that too many retirees discover only when it’s too late: dental and vision care.

Both are essential for maintaining quality of life, yet they are usually not covered under the core federal retirement health plans like the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. That means you must make a separate decision—and potentially a separate enrollment—if you want these services to be available when you need them most.

What the FEHB Covers—and What It Leaves Out

The FEHB Program remains the primary source of health coverage for most public sector retirees. While it provides strong protection against major medical costs, it has clear limitations:

• Routine dental cleanings, fillings, root canals, and dentures are typically excluded.

• Vision services like eye exams, glasses, and corrective procedures are rarely included.

• Only medically necessary dental or eye procedures might be covered (e.g., jaw surgery or treatment of eye disease), and even then, the coverage is usually minimal.

This makes it clear: if you want ongoing dental or vision care, you’ll need to look at separate options designed specifically for those benefits.

The FEDVIP Program: Separate But Available

Since 2007, the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) has provided public sector employees, retirees, and certain family members with access to standalone dental and vision plans.

In 2025, the FEDVIP still operates independently from FEHB. You do not get automatic enrollment into FEDVIP just because you have FEHB. Here’s what you need to know:

• Enrollment is voluntary and only available during Open Season or due to a qualifying life event.

• You pay the full premium—there is no government contribution toward FEDVIP.

• You must make your selection through BENEFEDS, which handles FEDVIP enrollment and premium deductions.

Even though it’s an extra step, enrolling in FEDVIP may be the only way to ensure continuous coverage for your eyes and teeth after retirement.

Open Season Matters More Than You Think

Open Season, held annually from mid-November to mid-December, is your only routine opportunity to enroll in or change FEDVIP coverage. In 2025, missing Open Season means waiting an entire year unless you experience a qualifying life event like marriage or loss of other coverage.

Many retirees mistakenly assume they can enroll at any time after retirement or when they first need care. That’s not the case.

• If you didn’t enroll during your working years, your window opens again at the next Open Season.

• Even if you delay your FEHB, you can still enroll in FEDVIP as long as you’re eligible.

This makes planning ahead absolutely essential.

How the Costs Stack Up in Retirement

In 2025, costs for dental and vision care are rising steadily, especially for retirees. Without coverage, you can expect the following average out-of-pocket costs:

• Dental exams and cleanings: Around $100–$200 per visit

• Fillings: $150–$300 each

• Crowns or dentures: $1,000 or more per procedure

• Routine vision exams: $75–$150

• Eyeglasses or lenses: $200–$600 per pair

These figures can strain a fixed income. And since neither Medicare nor most FEHB plans cover these routine services, neglecting to plan can lead to difficult trade-offs.

Medicare Doesn’t Fill the Gap

Some retirees assume Medicare will pick up where FEHB leaves off. Unfortunately, Medicare in 2025 still does not include comprehensive dental or vision coverage:

• Part A (Hospital Insurance) does not cover dental or vision care.

• Part B (Medical Insurance) only covers specific eye-related or dental-related services when medically necessary.

• Part D (Drug Coverage) is unrelated to dental or vision needs.

So if you are Medicare-eligible and choose to pair it with a FEHB plan, you may still have no access to routine dental cleanings or prescription glasses unless you’ve also enrolled in FEDVIP.

What to Consider Before Enrolling in Dental and Vision Plans

Choosing a dental or vision plan requires more than selecting the lowest premium. You need to think about your health needs over time, especially as you age:

• Anticipate future needs: Will you need dentures, implants, or cataract surgery in the next 5–10 years?

• Check provider networks: Are your current dentist and eye doctor in-network?

• Review coverage limits: Some plans have annual caps or require waiting periods.

• Balance monthly premiums with expected usage: Paying for coverage you don’t use can be wasteful, but lacking it when needed can be far worse.

Reviewing the FEDVIP plan brochures carefully during Open Season is the only way to make a truly informed choice.

Retiree Eligibility Rules You Might Not Know

Even though FEDVIP eligibility is broad, there are a few conditions to be aware of:

• Survivors receiving a survivor annuity remain eligible, provided they were covered at the time of the retiree’s death.

• Divorced spouses lose eligibility once the divorce is finalized, unless covered under a court order and converted to a private policy.

• Deferred retirees, those who leave before being eligible to receive immediate annuity payments, are not eligible until the annuity begins.

It’s important to understand that your eligibility doesn’t guarantee you coverage—you must take action to enroll.

Planning Around Life Expectancy and Aging Trends

Dental and vision care needs increase with age. By your 70s and 80s, you’re more likely to face:

• Gum disease

• Tooth loss

• Oral cancer

• Cataracts

• Glaucoma

• Age-related macular degeneration

None of these conditions are rare. They are age-related realities. Without dental and vision coverage, you may have no affordable way to manage these challenges, which can in turn affect nutrition, independence, and safety.

A long retirement requires you to think not just about your finances, but also about your ability to function day to day. Oral and eye health play a bigger role in that than most people anticipate.

The High Cost of Waiting Until You Need It

Some retirees take a “wait and see” approach to dental and vision insurance, assuming they’ll sign up when problems arise. That strategy doesn’t work well for several reasons:

• Open Season limits your ability to enroll at will

• Some FEDVIP plans include waiting periods before covering major services

• Neglected care leads to more expensive interventions later

In retirement, proactive coverage is almost always more cost-effective than reactive treatment.

Where to Get Trusted Advice

Your retirement planning shouldn’t stop at TSP withdrawals and annuity options. Dental and vision coverage may not be the flashiest part of your plan, but failing to address it can quietly create major gaps in your healthcare.

If you’re unsure about whether to enroll in FEDVIP or need help comparing your options during Open Season, speak with a licensed professional listed on this website. They can help you match your health profile, retirement budget, and long-term needs with the right coverage.

Don’t Let Your Retirement Vision Be Shortsighted

Dental and vision insurance are often overlooked until they’re urgently needed. By the time you realize they’re not included in your retirement plan, the enrollment window may already be closed—or the treatment costs may already be substantial.

You deserve a retirement plan that covers all of you. That includes your mouth and your eyes. The time to review and act is before problems start.

Get in touch with a licensed professional listed on this website to ensure your retirement coverage is truly complete.