How ACA repeal might affect dental costs

How ACA Repeal Might Affect Dental Costs

The Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, is an all-inclusive law that was ratified in March 2010 with the aim of making health insurance more affordable and available to Americans. ACA impacted healthcare costs including dental treatment in some instances. A repeal of the healthcare reform implemented by the Obama administration is imminent following the election of Donald Trump and a Republican majority in both houses of Congress. This has raised fears that the cost of healthcare in general will increase. ACA repeal dental costs will equally be affected.

Getting the Facts Right

Dental treatment is still unaffordable to many Americans. Under the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans gained coverage. An abolishment of the act is likely to increase the number of uninsured Americans. This means you will have to incur more ACA repeal dental costs. Upon enactment, ACA was applauded for reinforcing dental care. In as much as dental care for adults was not categorized as a critical healthcare benefit under ACA, it was still regarded highly. ACA included children’s dental care as a significant health benefit.

Following ACA repeal dental care may become more expensive – especially for pediatric dental coverage. As Medicaid expansion also enhanced access to dental treatment for young adults even though it wasn’t part of the expanded coverage position of Obamacare. This was beneficial to many families as children could avoid the financial barriers that are associated with accessing high quality dental care.

How the Repeal of ACA will Affect Your Dental Health

It is speculated that the Trump administration will obliterate key provisions of Obamacare and enact alternatives aimed at addressing healthcare challenges. The American Dental Association (ADA) points out that the dental health care sector will be negatively impacted, something that will ultimately affect patients. There were massive gains in the oral health sector under the ACA, a situation that is likely to be reversed.

It is speculated that health savings accounts (HAS’s) will gain prominence under Trumpcare. This will literally crowd in expenditure on dental care since you may be forced to finance your family’s dental care using pre-tax dollars. This is likely to make dental care accessible to only those who are wealthy at the expense of lower income citizens.

Why Dental Plans are a Great Alternative to Dental Insurance

Dental treatment is expensive, and generally out of reach for many people. Dental insurance has helped increase access to dental care. However, dental plans that are offered by providers such as DentalSave can help you make significant savings. You stand to receive significant discounts whenever you seek the services of participating providers. This goes long way in easing affordability challenges.