At this point if I have teeth that need not be capped I will always consider an implant first if there is sufficient bone present. I do believe that the insurance companies wil not pay for the implant but will pay for the crown over the implant as if it was a natural tooth. I can't tell how bad the adjacent teeth are so I can not comment on how long it be necessary before those teeth need crowns. Sometimes the best thing to do is the most costly.
if the teeth on either side of the space are virgin teeth (ie, healthy with no fillings) then I'd get an implant. If the teeth on either side have large fillings and will probably need to be crowned at some point in the next 5-10 years, then I'd consider a bridge.