This may or may not have been an intended consequence of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the ACA is prompting many small-business owners to ask, “Does dental have to be embedded in the medical plan? Should I keep my current dental plan? Am I required to purchase a pediatric oral Essential Health Benefit (POEHB) plan?”

In some states the decision has already been made; small-business owners in these states wanting to offer their employees dental-benefit plans face limited choices on how and for whom to purchase dental benefits, along with limited plan-design options.

Fortunately, in Wisconsin small-business owners still have a choice. They can keep buying the dental benefits that provide the highest value from whomever they trust. Don’t be misled; small-business owners are NOT required to embed POEHB coverage with their medical plan. In fact, employers aren’t required to purchase POEHB at all!

Delta Dental of Wisconsin has always offered easy-to-use, easy-to-implement, and easy-to-understand dental benefit plans that employers have come to trust. They work. There is nothing broken about dental benefits that the ACA could possibly fix, and there’s no need to complicate group dental benefits when Delta Dental plans have always accomplished the goals of the ACA – affordable, transparent, health-enhancing benefits for adults and children.

There are many compelling arguments for keeping a conventional group dental plan in place. First and most importantly, the coverage is better. Let’s define better: Better is not achieved by simply adding an out-of-pocket limit to a child-only dental plan. Better is a dental-benefits plan that is consistent, understandable, provides benefits for every member of the family, is affordable, and gives the customer the chance to save money on most dental procedures.

Second, consider the message that’s being sent to employees. The pediatric oral Essential Health Benefit only covers dependents up to age 19. Children’s oral health is vital, but adult oral health is equally important, especially for individuals who have periodontal disease or health conditions that benefit from regular and preventive oral healthcare. Given that, why would a small-business owner put a plan in place that only covers only the children of employees? What about the employees themselves?

For 50 years, Delta Dental has been working to maintain healthy communities and healthy teeth. As Wisconsin’s first not-for-profit dental-benefits provider, we are proud to support important oral-health causes statewide. Whether you looking for voluntary plans or PPO plans that reduce out-of-pocket costs, Delta Dental is here to help, with carefully designed products that make your benefit dollars go further and deliver the world-class service you’ve come to expect from Delta Dental.

The coming months are sure to be filled with change, disruption, confusion, and uncertainty. Through these trying times, you can continue to trust the Wisconsin dental plan that has advocated for oral-health initiatives and supported Wisconsin businesses and communities for more than 50 years.

Delta Dental of Wisconsin. Simple. Experienced. Trustworthy. Committed.