Starting in 2014, state and/or regional insurance exchanges may become operational. Exchanges will allow small businesses and individuals to buy required essential benefits. Benefits may come in different levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Premium and Catastrophic) but the actual benefits under each level haven’t been defined yet. People don’t have to use exchanges to buy their coverage, but they are the only place where government subsidies will become available to help people who meet certain income requirements.
Per Federal regulations, we know that stand-alone dental benefits and children’s dental coverage will be offered on exchanges. But, there are still some details that are unclear. We still don’t know if adult dental coverage will be offered on exchanges, what requirements will apply to dental within the exchanges, or if dental benefits will be offered and priced separately from medical benefits. In today’s commercial market, dental and medical benefits are sold as separate policies 97 percent of the time, so it is our hope that the same structure will remain within exchanges to allow consumers to have a transparent shopping experience.