From: Delta Dental….
Health care is changing, but you can still count on Delta Dental’s Small Business Program.
At Delta Dental, we’ve always been dedicated to providing the very best dental coverage to small businesses, at affordable prices. And, that hasn’t changed, even with health care reform and the Affordable Care Act. In fact, there is no need to disrupt your clients’ dental benefits. Plus, we’ll continue to partner with general agents and brokers like you, with no change in commissions or administration services.
Our Small Business Program still offers
- A wide variety of plan options with benefit flexibility
- A range of prices and rate stability with group purchasing power
- The same convenient access to our extensive dental networks
What you should know about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and dental coverage requirements.
- Small businesses can stay with Delta Dental’s Small Business Program. There is no need to disrupt your clients’ current dental benefits.
- Starting in January 2014, there is an ACA mandate requiring individuals to have health coverage or pay a fine.
- In order to be compliant with the ACA, qualified health plans must cover 10 Essential Health Benefits (EHB), and one of these is pediatric dental care for children to age 19i.
- Small businesses are not required to provide health or dental benefits to their employees; however, if they decide to do so they may purchase dental coverage including “exchange-qualified” EHB pediatric dental care, outside of the state and federal health insurance marketplaces (the “Exchanges”).
What does a small business need to do?
- Employers can keep their existing Delta Dental Small Business Program plans to:
o cover employees and their dependents over the pediatric dental care EHB age limit
o cover children under the pediatric dental care EHB age limit to supplement what the EHB pediatric dental benefits do not cover
- The EHB pediatric dental benefit may be:
- purchased from a stand-alone dental carrier like Delta Dental when it becomes available; or
- purchased as part of a medical carrier offering.
Things to consider
- Even though small businesses are not required to provide dental benefits, many recognize the value of providing coverage to attract and retain qualified employees.
- Delta Dental’s Small Business Program will continue to offer the full portfolio of dental plans to small businesses to cover employees and their families (including adult children to age 26). In addition, an exchange certified pediatric dental EHB option will be announced when it becomes available. These programs will be offered outside the Exchange.
- Choosing a medical plan that includes the pediatric dental EHB may appear advantageous, but the dental may not be as robust as a stand-alone dental plan, dental expenses may not be covered until the medical deductible is met, and there may be different networks requiring a change in dentist.
Count on Delta Dental for health care reform information.
We’re committed to providing you with the information you need to make informed dental benefits decisions—as it becomes available. To learn more about the ACA, visit healthcare.gov and cms.gov.