Consumers Looking for Pediatric Dental Benefits through Health Insurance Marketplaces Have More Choices, According to New Report from ADA Health Policy Institute
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumers looking for medical plans with embedded dental benefits have more options than ever on the health insurance marketplaces, according to a new study by the ADA Health Policy Institute. Across 40 states examined for this study, 35.7 percent of medical plans have embedded pediatric or family dental benefits. This is a dramatic increase over 2014, when 26.8 percent of plans offered such benefits.
Other findings include:
- While pediatric dental benefits are an essential health benefit under the Affordable Care Act, many plans do not offer first-dollar coverage for preventive dental services. Medical plans with embedded dental benefits are more likely to offer first-dollar coverage than stand-alone plans.
- Pediatric dental benefits purchased through medical plans are, on average, less costly than purchasing stand-alone plans.
- Healthcare.gov, the government's website for federally facilitated marketplaces, is more transparent about dental benefits coverage and cost-sharing than it was in 2014.
The authors of the study are Cassandra Yarbrough, M.P.P.; Marko Vujicic, Ph.D.; and Kamyar Nasseh, Ph.D.
About the Health Policy Institute
The Health Policy Institute (HPI) is a thought leader and trusted source for policy knowledge on critical issues affecting the U.S. dental care system. HPI produces innovative research for policymakers, oral health advocates, and dental care providers. HPI's interdisciplinary team of health economists, statisticians, and analysts has extensive expertise in health systems policy research. HPI staff routinely collaborates with researchers in academia and policy think tanks. For more information, visit www.ada.org/en/science-research/health-policy-institute.
About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing 158,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit www.ada.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA's consumer website www.MouthHealthy.org.
Contact:
Robert Raible
[email protected]
202-789-5166
SOURCE American Dental Association
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