Dental and medical care have almost always been delivered separately and disjointedly. That division of care could now change. Provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) offer new opportunities to bring medical and dental care delivery closer to one another in two ways.
First, the ACA includes pediatric oral health benefits among its list of essential health benefits, giving insurance plans the opportunity to embed pediatric dental benefits within the medical plan. Second, the ACA strives to improve quality of care while containing costs via health care delivery reform in patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations (ACOs).
Read Full Article »