Transparency and choice in dental coverage

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) or health care reform has provided Americans with more options to purchase health insurance including their medical and dental insurance.

Today, Iowans have the choice to buy their health insurance through the Iowa Health Insurance Marketplace (healthcare.gov), their employer, directly through an insurance carrier, or through other insurance exchanges that may be run by third parties.

During the establishment of the Iowa Health Insurance Marketplace, Gov. Terry Branstad and Iowa's Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart recognized the importance of providing Iowans with choice when it comes to their medical and dental insurance.

In Iowa, consumers buying insurance either on the Iowa Health Insurance Marketplace or through other insurance sites are able to purchase their dental benefits separate from their medical benefits. In fact, 97 percent of dental benefits are purchased separately from medical insurance.

Not all Americans have these same options that provide transparency and choice like we do in Iowa. Some states require that only medical plans can offer children's dental benefits depending on where the health insurance is purchased.

This discrepancy in the law could lead to families losing the dental coverage they want, and even cause some individuals without kids to pay for children's dental coverage as part of their medical coverage.

There's a simple national fix. The Aligning Children's Dental Coverage Act (HR 3463), sponsored by Representatives Morgan Griffith (VA) and Diana DeGette (CO), allows individuals and small businesses to choose the dental coverage they want, no matter how they buy their medical and dental insurance.

I would like to thank Congressman David Young, Congressman Dave Loebsack and Congressman Rod Blum for supporting this bill and assuring Americans and Iowans have access to the dental coverage that's right for them.

' Jeff Russell is president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental of Iowa and president of Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation.