Dental Coverage: The Next Health Care Reform Need?

However, a National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that among approximately 172 million people under age 65 years with private health insurance the majority (73%) had some type of dental coverage. Among people under age 65 years with private health insurance who had some type of dental insurance, about one out of two people had dental coverage through a single-service dental plan, either alone or in addition to dental coverage through their comprehensive health insurance plan.  

About eight out of 10 people with employment-based private health insurance had dental coverage compared with about three out of 10 people with directly purchased insurance. Among people age 65 years, persons with employment-based private health insurance were about two to three times as likely as people with directly purchased insurance to have dental coverage through all types of plans, including a single-service dental plan only, a comprehensive plan only, or both single-service and comprehensive plans combined, according to the report.  

Non-Hispanic black people were more likely to have dental insurance than non-Hispanic white people, non-Hispanic Asian people, or Hispanic people.  

As income level increased, the percentage having dental insurance increased. Adults with at least some college education were more likely to have dental insurance than those with less education.  

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