Does the health-care overhaul require insurance companies to provide dental care?
Yes and no. That’s the quick answer. A more complete response needs a little background. The proposals — coming from both the House and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee — require all of us to have health insurance, even if we’re out of work or our employer doesn’t provide it. (If we don’t have it, we’ll pay a penalty. If we can’t afford it, there will be financial aid to help us buy it.) And both proposals set up groups of qualified insurers from which individuals and employers can buy that insurance. Those insurers, in both proposals, must provide certain essential benefits, such as prescription drug coverage. Dental care — for children only — is considered an essential benefit in both proposals, according to the American Dental Association. The House proposal defines children as those under the age of 21. The Senate proposal does not yet define the age to qualify as a child. Exactly which dental services for children will be covered will be worked
