Abstracts » Health

A good deal for all

Article Abstract:

Direct reimbursement (DR) dental insurance benefits dentists, employees, and employers. Employees covered by this plan choose their own dentist and spend their allotted dental care funds without restrictions imposed by insurers. Employees pay dentists for all services rendered and are reimbursed by their employers. Employers reduce administrative costs by 13% to 26% by switching from traditional indemnity plans to DR. Dentists do not have to contend with fee reductions and service limits imposed by profit hungry insurers. DR represents 1% to 2% of insured dental care in 1995 and is growing slowly. Dentists' efforts to market DR must be augmented with assistance from professional employee benefits consultants and brokers. The newly-formed Alliance for Dental Reimbursement Programs plans to use professional marketers in a coordinated, nationwide DR marketing campaign.

Contracts, Dental insurance

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MSAs: back to the future

Article Abstract:

The American Dental Association favors the use of medical savings accounts (MSAs) to control health care costs. MSAs are modeled on the tax-exempt features of individual retirement accounts. Consumers deposit money into MSAs that is used to pay for medical services. Because consumers regulate health care spending, they have an incentive to curb costs. Clinicians and patients determine treatment and fees free from the influence of profit-hungry insurance companies. Although employees prefer MSAs over traditional health plans, health policy experts fear that people will delay seeking necessary care to accumulate MSA dollars. It is unclear how MSAs will affect the care seeking behavior of people with traditional dental insurance. MSAs may make affordable dental care available to the uninsured and increase their use of dental services.

Models, Health care reform

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Proceed with caution

Article Abstract:

Dentists should participate in every state's Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to ensure that poor children's dental needs are met and dentists are adequately reimbursed for providing these services. CHIP was passed by Congress in 1997 to extend health insurance to children who do not qualify for Medicaid. However, a dental component is not a requirement. States can develop their own programs, but many may not include a dental component unless dentists make their views known.

Insurance, Poor children

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