Access to Adult Dental Care Gets Renewed Focus in ACA Marketplace Proposal

On March 8, KFF released a policy watch discussing a new proposal in the Health and Human Services (HHS) Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2025 that aims to expand access to adult dental care in Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans. The HHS Benefit and Payment Parameters Notice for 2025 proposes to remove the prohibition on the classification of routine adult dental health coverage as an essential health benefit (EHB). Under this proposed rule, states would have the option of classifying adult dental care as an EHB. If a state chose to classify adult dental health as an EHB, the state (or the federal government as a fallback) would be required to enforce the same ACA protections for adult dental coverage that apply to other EHBs...