Proposed Rule to Include Adult Dental Coverage as an Essential Health Benefit on the ACA Exchanges

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published on November 24, 2023, in the Federal Register a proposed rule that would allow states to include adult dental services as an “essential health benefit” (EHB) that Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans must cover without annual or lifetime limits. The rule governs issuers offering qualified health plans through federally facilitated exchanges and state-based exchanges on the federal platform, and it would allow adults who buy health insurance on the ACA exchanges to receive dental coverage as part of their medical care plan. Plan participants would still have to pay co-payments and/or co-insurance. The rule would become effective in the 2025 health insurance coverage year.

Click here to read the proposed rule.