Health Insurance Blog

Health Insurers Extend Dental Benefits

One more example how a commercial motive actually benefits more people.

Amid mounting evidence linking poor oral hygiene to a range of expensive medical problems, health plans are starting to cover more dental treatments and preventive services.

The idea, insurers say, is that paying for certain services now, such as additional cleanings, gum treatments and prescription mouth washes, can reduce the incidence of other health problems down the road. A number of studies suggest that early prevention and treatment of gum disease may result in significantly improved outcomes for pregnancy, heart disease and diabetes, often leading to substantial medical-cost savings.

Many of the insurers' enhanced benefits are focused on people with these health risks. Cigna Corp.'s Oral Health Integration Program, implemented earlier this year, covers additional deep cleanings known as scaling and root planing during pregnancy at no extra cost, or an additional regular cleaning (over the usual two a year) for pregnant women who don't require scaling and root planing. A similar benefit is available for patients in Cigna's diabetes and cardiac-care disease-management programs.