Dental insurance plans could improve reform efforts

The relatively low cost of dental insurance plans compared to other coverage options as well as the relationship between oral health and chronic conditions has led some advocates to call for more efforts to include dental care into health care reform legislation under discussion in Congress.

Regular visits to a dentist could give consumers the chance for screenings that would detect periodontal disease linked to cardiovascular conditions and cancer, but patients may not be aware of the strong links between periodontal symptoms and their future health, according to an editorial in the Wichita Eagle.

Some health care coverage options now focus on preventive testing, but dental insurance plans can provide affordable access to providers who have historically focused on wellness and stopping diseases before they can progress, noted the editorial.

Workers place a large value on dental insurance for this reason, but it can also benefit employers by giving them an inexpensive way to reduce costly future complications in employees, according to the Fort Worth Business-Press.

Seventy-five percent of employees found offering access to dental care "extremely important" or "very important" in a recent survey, and the news provider notes that companies who may not be able to cover some of the costs could institute a voluntary benefit program. It offers rates comparable to other group dental insurance plans, but the costs are born by workers.

Reform efforts might also aid rural populations, a demographic that has received media attention for its low percentage of doctors. Some volunteers in Appalachia are finding that dentistry options could also benefit from increased federal or state funding.

In Wise, Virginia, hundreds of people flock to the county fairgrounds to receive basic preventive care, including dental checkups that represent the first time many have seen a light in their mouth since Regional Area Medical expedition volunteers visited the year before, reported National Public Radio.

Although premiums for some dental insurance programs are one-tenth the cost of other health coverage plans, the RAM health care providers noted that just one percent of the attendees had some form of dental or vision insurance, according to the radio network.