So, this morning I read that health policy costs went up 133% over the last 10 years, yikes! During that same time dental plan costs rose less than 40%–on average 4% to 5% in the last few years. In fact dental premiums went down this year for employee only. So why does Congress want to put children’s dental coverage under a health plan? Lower cost? More coverage?
97% of the dental benefits today are separate policies of coverage through carriers that specialize in dental. When a medical plan has to build or buy the capacity to cover dental—that’s just more cost they will pass onto us!
The top medical plan that covers federal employees has a skinny dental benefit—paying $22 for an office visit. Dental plans pay 100% for preventive office visits and the x-rays, cleanings, sealants and fluoride that my kids and I need. So my daughter who is still at college and on my dental plan will be shifted to the new medical plan and probably have less dental coverage than I have.
Oh, and that promise you can keep your dentist—you get no guarantee that the dentist your family sees now will be part of the medical plan covering your kids.
The promise that Americans can keep their coverage and providers is broken when it comes to our dental benefits.
Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, is a mother of two and Executive Director of the National Association of Dental Plans. She is recognized as an expert in the insurance industry by ‘Insurance Newscast Expert.’
Today I read a new Kaiser Family Foundation report on “Children and Health Care Reform” (Publication #7980) that confirms that what I have been saying, “Dental benefits get short shrift when combined with medical coverage.”
Kaiser says that under the most popular Blue Cross Blue Shield federal employee’s medical plan a 7-year old boy’s trip to the dentist was reimbursed at $22 with an additional $30 for an extraction. Separate dental coverage typically pays 100% of preventive care including office visits and 80% for basic services like extractions, fillings, root canals etc.
Medical plans will simply not give dental the attention it needs. The separate dental coverage that 132 million Americans have today for their families should be left alone under health care reform.
As a Mom that still covers my daughter at college under my dental plan, I don’t want to try to figure out different payment schedules under my medical policy for her when she calls about going to the dentist. It is easier to refer to the dental policy that covers me and my husband.
Who needs this kind of complexity added to their lives? Let’s just let dental do dental and have medical handle medical.
Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, is a mother of two and Executive Director of the National Association of Dental Plans. She is recognized as an expert in the insurance industry by ‘Insurance Newscast Expert.’
So Thursday started with a call from CNBC’s Street Signs program to talk about the impact of health reform on dental benefits. A call from a TV program was a first for me. I was energized, but it was also scary. After all, what woman wants to go on television with no notice? Well, at least I wore a jacket I thought and returned the call.
Three hours later, I was sitting in a sound proof booth looking at a camera with two “googley eyes” (like the ones on that stack of money you’ll save with Geico) trying to image the people that were talking in my ear as they sat in New York and California.
Of course, I looked like a deer in the headlights, but did remember a few key points.
Health reform requires children’s dental coverage to be included in medical insurance. For 132 million Americans with family dental benefits that means they can’t keep their kids under their dental coverage.
Some 40 million kids will be pulled out of their parents dental policies and covered under a medical plan with no guarantee that the dentist they now see will be in the medical plan or that the benefits will be as robust as they are under dental policies.
Medical insurers don’t cover dental benefits today so they will have to build or buy systems that dental insurers have now. That means more cost for the same or less dental coverage.
And there’s a trickle-down effect on adults. Because households without children are 60% less likely to have dental coverage, there could be a significant reduction in adults with coverage. And since adults without coverage don’t see the dentist as often, their oral health will suffer.
Of course there were many things that we couldn’t get to. Maybe I can add them to the next 4 minute interview, but– with better make-up and clothes .
Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, is a mother of two and Executive Director of the National Association of Dental Plans. She is recognized as an expert in the insurance industry by ‘Insurance Newscast Expert.’
I’ve been listening to a lot of health care reform town halls lately.
On Sunday, I was listening to the radio when another Senator repeated the promise that “Americans can keep their current coverage and doctors.” I found myself screaming at the radio, “just not your dental or vision coverage!” Aware my outburst did nothing beyond frighten the other drivers on the road; I knew I had to take to the blogosphere.
I don’t want to be an alarmist, but I have devoted a lot of resources to figuring out how the 1000’s of pages of health care reform bills work. I know there are unexpected surprises in these bills that Americans should know about. Whenever I share what I know with my family and friends, they say “Really? Why?”
Now I want to know what you think about 3 things the House version of health care reform will do:
If you are one of the 132 million Americans with dental benefits for you and your kids, you won’t be able to keep your kids under your dental benefits policy with your coverage. This means your children won’t have the same policy, and may have a different dentist. (Same goes for vision if you have vision coverage).
If you don’t have kids, you will pay for dental and vision coverage for kids up to age 21 as part of your medical policy.
You will pay more for the dental part of your health coverage than you do today.
What do you think?
Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, is a mother of two and Executive Director of the National Association of Dental Plans. She is recognized as an expert in the insurance industry by ‘Insurance Newscast Expert.’
Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, is a mother of two and Executive Director of the National Association of Dental Plans. She is recognized as an expert in the insurance industry by ‘Insurance Newscast Expert.’
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Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, is a mother of two and Executive Director of the National Association of Dental Plans. She is recognized as an expert in the insurance industry by ‘Insurance Newscast Expert.’