Insurance plans expanding dental coverage

Increasingly insurance plans are beginning to expand dental coverage in an attempt to reduce overall health care costs (Source: “Smile -- Benefits Improve,” Wall Street Journal, July 27, 2008).

Some plans, such as Delta Dental of California, New York and Pennsylvania and Affiliates, are no longer counting diagnostic and preventive care toward the annual maximum. Guardian Life Insurance plans allow patients to roll over a share of their unused limit if they file at least one paid claim a year.

In light of recent studies linking gum disease to conditions ranging from pre-term births to diabetes to heart disease, the insurers say the goal is to encourage patients to get regular, routine care as a means to avoid more costly care down the road.