Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange, recently announced that consumers who enroll in plans in 2015 will have a choice of new family dental plans. Additionally, all plans sold through the exchange will include pediatric dental benefits for children under age 19.
Pediatric dental care is especially important, as children who don’t see the dentist regularly face a host of health problems, according to Kaiser Health News. In addition to an increased risk of sinus and ear infections, children with tooth decay are more likely to develop other chronic problems, like diabetes and obesity. Early dental problems can affect children’s learning and social skills, and their ability to eat.
The family dental plans will enable adults to purchase dental coverage outside the general health plans for an additional fee, and will be available in early 2015. Peter Lee, Executive Director of Covered California, emphasized that the family dental plan is optional and primarily benefits adults, since pediatric dental coverage will be included on all plans sold through the exchange.
The chart below shows the pediatric dental plans automatically included with the different health insurance plans through Covered California.
Chart Source: Covered California
BenefitPackages is a certified insurance agency that can help consumers determine whether they qualify for cost-sharing subsidies and tax breaks to help pay for a Covered California plan, as well as enrollment assistance. Call us to learn more about your coverage options today.