Posted by
daddontsk8 on Thursday, July 16, 2009 12:39:22 PM
The current "Tri-Committee" bill that is currently in the mark-up phase in the various House committees has a provision that mandates coverage in a "qualified health plan." The qualified health plan is required in the current language of the bill to include minimum prentive health benefits AND oral and vision care benefits for children. The current language, which is unlikely to be changed prior to being introduced in the House, would require the dental and vision benefit to be offered as part of a comprehensive health plan. Most dental benefits in this country are offered as stand-alone plans with a premium separate from that of the medical premium. The House language will effectively eliminate stand-alone dental and vision plans in the marketplace.
So, if enacted as written, the Health Care Reform legislation will so alter the dental insurance market to effectively destroy it. Discount dental and vision plans would not even be allowed in the definitioin of a "qualified health care plan."
BTW, children, for the purposes of this bill includes all dependents aged 21 and younger.