Colorado's health insurance exchange may move forward without children's dental care after language from the federal government termed such benefits as "essential" yet "optional," the Denver Post reported.
With the lack of a federal mandate, state officials say they are working to create a more robust system of oral health coverage for underserved children when the state's healthcare exchange opens in October.
Colorado's poor performance in oral health measurements is among Gov. John Hickenlooper's "10 Winnable" public health battles, the article noted.
Stakeholders such as Oral Health Colorado are pushing for the health insurance exchange board to do more than what the federal guidelines require. According to the board, plans for dental and vision will be offered, but the purchase of dental coverage will not be mandatory.
Delta Dental has worked to fill the need for dental coverage in the state and has announced plans to contribute $6 million toward free insurance coverage for 6 million people in two years, the article noted.
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