California’s health exchange, “Covered California,” has chosen the following pediatric dental health plans for children up to 19 years old:
1. Anthem Dental
2. Blue Shield of California
3. Delta Dental of California
4. Health Net Dental
5. LIBERTY Dental Plan
6. Premier Access Dental.
Like Covered California’s health insurance plans, the pediatric dental plans underwent a rigorous screening and competitive bidding process and had to balance access to providers with affordable premiums to qualify.
All plans can be bundled with health insurance for a single premium. Five carriers are offering nine stand-alone plans while Health Net Dental is only available in a bundled option. Three product types are available, depending on where the child lives: DHMOs, DPPOs, and DEPOs.
Premiums for stand-alone plan range from less than $10 a month for an HMO plan in some areas to about $30 a month for a DPPO. Consumers are not required to purchase the pediatric dental benefit. However, Peter Lee executive director of Covered California noted that the plans offer comprehensive child dental coverage, which is particularly important for consumers of child-only coverage and family plans.
Covered California dental benefit plans feature standard copayments, deductibles, and coinsurance requirements. Unlike Covered California’s health insurance plans, dental plans are not designated by metal levels, but come in two actuarial value options. The 85% plan features higher premiums, but lower average out-of-pocket costs. The 70% plan features with lower premiums and higher average out-of-pocket costs. For more information, visit www.CoveredCA.com.
