Most dental benefits are purchased separately from medical insurance (stand-alone coverage) and most children already have their dental coverage through a stand-alone family dental plan. Congress recognized the value of stand-alone dental coverage by allowing insurers that specialize in dental benefits to offer children's coverage on the exchanges.

That means parents have the choice to purchase their children's dental benefits separately from their medical benefits. This is important because if parents have to switch their children's dental plans to one bundled with their medical plans, they may end up with a dental plan that doesn’t include their in-network family dentist or experience reduced dental benefits.  A company with dental expertise is important because there are many differences between dental and medical benefits.

Teeth Wisdom:  Correcting Ten Misconceptions of Dental Coverage

While medical coverage will be the primary focus of policymakers' deliberations, implications for dental coverage and oral health should not be overlooked. Yet, misconceptions about dental coverage persist today when, in fact, the dental benefits system works well - and much differently from medical coverage. Learn more about the ten misconceptions of dental coverage.