Unintended Consequences: Health Care Reform Proposals Would Disrupt Dental
Coverage, Limit Competition
~Amendments Needed to Achieve Reform Objectives~
OAK BROOK, Ill., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Health care reform
legislation currently being considered in Congress has unintended consequences
that would disrupt dental coverage for millions of Americans and limit
competition, according to Kim Volk, president of Delta Dental Plans
Association.
"Dental insurance has not received much attention in the health care reform
debate, in part because dental benefits - and their prevention-based model -
are what works in health care," Volk says. "We applaud Congress for its
efforts to tackle the challenging issue of health care reform, and for
including a children's dental benefit in health care reform legislation.
However, the current proposal in the House of Representatives denies those
seeking dental coverage a choice among the best possible options - and
disrupts coverage for parents who already have it."
The House proposal would force families to buy children's dental insurance
from medical insurers - without the option to purchase from more experienced
stand-alone dental plans. It would also force parents who already have family
dental coverage to purchase two dental plans - one for their children and one
for themselves.
"This approach deprives consumers of competition, pricing transparency and the
opportunity to choose from stand-alone dental options that are the standard in
the employer-sponsored market," Volk says, noting that 97 percent of
employer-sponsored dental contracts - covering 128 million individuals - are
written separately from medical coverage.
"The current House proposal would disrupt coverage for an estimated 40 to 50
million children," Volk says, "and there's no guarantee that those families
would be able to keep their family dentist. This disruption of coverage and
splintering of dentist-patient relationships is likely unintended by
lawmakers, but it would have a very real impact on American families."
The Senate Finance bill, by contrast, includes a provision to allow children's
stand-alone dental policies to continue outside the exchange, and to be
purchased in combination with medical plans inside the exchange. Volk says its
unknown, however, if this provision will survive the final cut as the House
and Senate finalize health care reform legislation.
Reform Requires Healthy Competition
Legislation should allow for vigorous competition among different types of
insurance companies, including stand-alone dental carriers, Volk says, and the
Senate Finance bill meets those objectives.
"We support health care reform that gives Americans the best dental plans,
including stand-alone dental options and dental-focused carriers, and helps
people keep their current dental coverage and current dentists," Volk says.
"Legislation should require that dental health coverage be offered and priced
separately to ensure transparency and price competition. We're not afraid of
healthy competition, and true reform should encourage it."
Volk says Delta Dental plans to continue working with members of Congress and
the Executive Branch to fashion legislation that meets the objectives of
health care reform and is consistent with Delta Dental's mission of advancing
oral health in America.
"Through straightforward amendments to the current legislation, we can prevent
disruption, ensure competition and maintain our nation's hard-won gains in
oral health."
The Delta Dental Plans Association (www.deltadental.com) based in Oak Brook,
Ill., is the leading national network of independent dental service
corporations specializing in providing dental benefits programs to more than
54 million Americans in more than 89,000 employee groups throughout the
country.
Parents: Children's Dental
Coverage "Extremely Important"
According to a recent nationwide survey,
nearly four of five parents (79%) say
children's dental coverage is extremely
important. The survey, conducted on
behalf of the Delta Dental Plans
Association, also indicated that nearly
nine out of 10 parents (87%) say
children's dental care is equally as
important as medical care.
"The question of how children's dental
care is provided should not be an
afterthought in health care reform," says
Kim Volk, president of the Delta Dental
Plans Association. "Parents should be
able to choose among the best dental
options for their children and be able to
keep the dental coverage - and dentist -
they already have."
SOURCE Delta Dental Plans Association
Liz Brower of The Meyocks Group, +1-515-327-3466, lizbrower@meyocks.com, for
Delta Dental Plans Association
