SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California is offering new family dental plans to consumers who enroll in health insurance coverage in 2015. Additionally, all individual health insurance plans sold through the Covered California exchange will include pediatric dental benefits for members younger than 19.
“This is great news for families and children, because all children enrolled in Covered California will have dental coverage embedded in their comprehensive health plan,” Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said. “They will be getting better coverage and more for their money.”
Additionally, Lee said, the family dental plan will offer adults the option of receiving dental coverage outside the general health plans at an additional cost. Some consumers also may be drawn to family dental plans if a provider they prefer for their child is not offered in their embedded coverage.
The optional stand-alone family dental plans, which offer coverage for adults, will not be available at the beginning of open enrollment, which starts Nov. 15, but are planned to be added in early 2015. Covered California will offer both dental health maintenance organization (DHMO) and dental preferred provider organization (DPPO) plans, giving consumers a choice in the type of plan that will work best for them. There is no financial assistance available for the optional adult dental benefits.
Lee emphasized that there is no requirement to enroll children in a family dental plan. The family dental plan is optional and is primarily intended to offer affordable dental coverage to adults that was not available in 2014. Families should consider that adding their children to a family dental plan will result in an extra cost for the same dental services they already receive in their standard health insurance plan. The most likely reason to enroll a child in the family dental plan is if a dental provider they prefer for their child is not offered through their embedded coverage.
Covered California is notifying enrollees to explain the availability of pediatric dental benefits in its health insurance plans, as well as to explain the newly available family dental plans that include dental benefits for adults.
Below is a list of the pediatric dental coverage embedded with Covered California’s health insurance plans.
Family dental plans are offered from the companies listed below.
A booklet containing more information about the new family dental plans is available online at www.CoveredCA.com/coverage-basics/plans/.
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s marketplace for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Covered California, in partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, was charged with creating a new health insurance marketplace in which individuals and small businesses can get access to affordable health insurance plans. Covered California helps individuals determine whether they are eligible for premium assistance that is available on a sliding-scale basis to reduce insurance costs or whether they are eligible for low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Small businesses can purchase competitively priced health insurance plans and offer their employees the ability to choose from an array of plans and may qualify for federal tax credits.
Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the new market work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the governor and the Legislature. For more information about Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
