Health bills would mandate children's dental coverage

[yurbud]

Source: McClatchy

By Jessica Marcy, Kaiser Health News Jessica Marcy, Kaiser Health News – Tue Oct 13, 3:52 pm ET

"The silver lining of all this heated debate, for children at least, is that in almost every conversation, in every version of a bill, there's some provision for children's oral health," said Amir Moursi , chair of the department of pediatric dentistry at New York University's College of Dentistry .

Yet in a surprising twist, some insurance industry experts worry that the legislation may create unintended consequences and disruptions for adult and family dental coverage.

While he calls the children's benefit "an unbelievable mark of progress," Jeff Album, the vice president for public and government affairs for Delta Dental insurance company, fears that adults and employers may drop their dental coverage because of the legislation's treatment of dental plans and taxation of insurance benefits.

Many dental experts say that the proposed mandate for children's coverage addresses a serious need, one that gained national attention in 2007 when Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old Maryland boy who lacked access to dental care, died after bacteria from an abscessed tooth spread to his brain. Currently, about twice as many children are without dental coverage as those without medical insurance.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20091013/pl_mcclatchy/3332293

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This is a mixed blessing at best.

If Delta Dental is happy with it, that means it's a mandate to buy private insurance with no caps on premiums or other regulation.

How can the Democrats just sell us out to private insurance companies?

[Pirate Smile]

1. How dare they mandate pediatric dentistry? Would you prefer they exempt it?

How dare those bastards in Congress require it!

They need to make it affordable through subsidies and, hopefully, a strong public option. But I really do not get being pissed that they are going to require kids have dental coverage.

The end of the article states "You really have to imbed dentistry with medicine." he said. "We have to change the way we think." I'd say that would be the way to go.

Sometimes the discussion on this topic is positively surreal.

[Oregone]

5. "But I really do not get being pissed that they are going to require kids have dental coverage"

You may get pissed if you had to, as a small business owner, shop for your own family dental.

Premiums + copays + deductibles + 100% past yearly caps = losing game. Id rather pay out-of-pocket

Requiring people to buy into inadequate plans is bullshit. This is really unnerving for me. If the reform doesn't drastically overhaul existing models of dental insurance, which really isn't its main aim, its just a total give-away to the private dental insurance industry.

[yurbud]

7. thank you. I usually hit the cap on my insurance in two visits.

[yurbud]

6. I agree with having it, but not a mandate without price controls. Otherwise any subsidy

will be a gift to the insurance company and even an inducement to raise rates since the government would absorb any excessive premiums.

[JoeyT]

2. I was hoping for something in HCR that would give people at least *some* dental coverage.

Deaths from abscessed teeth are way more common than people think they are.
I was hoping they'd make it cover adults too, but if kids are all we're gonna get, I'll gladly take it. (And I don't even have kids.)
That said, we need a public option for dental care for everyone. Of course the right will shriek and pout and point at veneers and other cosmetic enhancements that shouldn't be covered while ignoring the actual facts. As usual.

[XemaSab]

3. Tomorrow I am going to make my first dental visit in a long, long time

I have the distinct feeling it's not going to be a happy visit, considering that my penultimate lower molar seems to be missing some stuff. I don't think it should be sharp like that, either.

But the depressing part is that I did some online research about what they do for a really messed up molar, and there were SO MANY people on there with pretty dire dental problems. Seriously, if you have to ask what to do if your tooth is suddenly soft, or suddenly dark, I just have to feel sorry for you. :(

Dental care should be part of a health plan... if only to get a once-a-year checkup. :(

[LeftyMom]

8. LMK if you need the name of my oral surgeon.

He's fantastic and his rates are definitely the most reasonable I've found- I had to call around when I needed to get my wisdom teeth out because the office my dentist sent me to was insanely expensive and run by snotty assholes to boot.

[XemaSab]

13. Will do

:hi:

[Oregone]

4. You dont mandate it! You fucking provide it.

That insurance is expensive and its inadequate. The insurance models are based on a self-rationing system. It isn't truly insurance anymore. Its pre-paid dentistry, and many times, its cheaper to pay out of pocket (gone are the days of $5 dollar co-pays for everyone).

Dental insurance is too expensive to use, in order to mandate it. Yes, everyone can pick up a useless plan, but when they are paying 50% on the cavities the first year after a $500 dollar deductible (up to $1000 a family member), they won't be able to afford to use it.

[yurbud]

15. and there is essentially one company--Delta Dental

[madville]

9. Most Dental Insurance is a Joke

Just judging from the past couple of plans employers offered. You pay say $600 a year for insurance that only covers 50% of procedures after a deductible and then there is a fairly low annual cap of what they will payout. Plus many dental practices that accept the insurance charge more than if you were paying cash.

The pediatric dentist that accepted the insurance I had on my son wanted almost $1000 to fix three cavities in baby teeth, my share would have been around $600. I found a local dentist who did it for $265 cash ($85 per cavity). Very inconsistent market, prices and practices.

If I paid $600 in premiums, a $500 deductible, and 50% of the overpriced work performed I don't see how that should be mandated when paying cash and shopping around a little is cheaper.

[Oregone]

10. Unless your employer is providing it for you, it is often more expensive than out-of-pocket

The house always wins

[Oregone]

11. dupe

[liberal N proud]

12. Mandate - Mandate - Mandate

How in the hell can you mandate something when people simply can't pay for it?

Triggers on public options that will never happen while people are fined because they can't pay for insurance?

:wtf:


If we don't have something that will cover the people who cannot afford private extortion then we have NOTHING!

[Romulox]

14. Just like optical, there are no savings to be had in "insurance" that most are guaranteed to use.

When the "risk" that one will use the insurance becomes a near certainty, there are virtually no savings to be had in insurance, which only works financially because most payors never make a claim. In fact, such "insurance" tends to make costs rise, as a middle man is taking a cut.

Which is why nobody buys private optical insurance, for example, even though virtually no medical plans cover glasses. Like others have said, it's simply cheaper to pay out of pocket.