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Facing the Challenge of Dental Benefit Plans Viren R. Patel, DDS
AUTHORS Viren R. Patel, DDS, received his dental degree from the University of London in England and is also a licentiate in dental surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He was an active member of the British Dental Association during his U.K. practice years. Dr. Patel moved to California in 1992 and has been active in the dental community ever since, volunteering at all levels of organized dentistry. He is the president of the Sacramento District Dental Foundation and serves on the California Dental Association Board of Directors. He maintains a private practice in Folsom, California, and serves as faculty at the California Northstate University, College of Dental Medicine. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
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hen surveying our members and asking what concerns them most in their practices, the challenges related to dental benefit plan reimbursement is at the top of the list, followed by the increasing cost of dental school and staffing shortages. It’s clear that the range of concerns about dental plans varies as much as the types of dental plans that exist in the market, with fluctuating nuances and coverage shifts. Just as the dental profession has witnessed advances in clinical techniques and shifting business models, the dental benefits marketplace also continues to evolve. The pressures in the dental benefits industry are comparable to those felt in thousands of industries and professions around the world — how to offer valued products and services while addressing the needs of their customers and containing costs. For dental benefit plans, employers are their primary customer. Employers are challenged with offering competitive benefit packages to retain and attract talent, as medical benefits take up a larger and larger part of the available health care benefit dollars. Dental coverage is a highly valued benefit by employees, falling right behind medical coverage and retirement benefits. In order to retain a dental benefit, many employers have shifted the cost of dental coverage to their employees, along with increased copays, something we’re witnessing firsthand in our practices. The world of dental benefits is broad and encompasses many types of coverage. Commercial employer-based or individually acquired plans are common and well known, if not well understood, by the majority. The history and current offerings are presented by Dr. Charles Stewart with a discussion of the benefits and challenges of the differing types of commercial plans. Additionally, the author offers a perspective of what the future may bring in this area and how that may impact all those who participate in these types of plans. Benefits provided by the government also exist for those who are unable to find care through other means. The reader will get insight into the unenviable task of the management of one of these programs from Jennifer Kent, the former director of the California Department of Health Care Services. The author discusses the barriers to change and the methodology as well as the avenues used to affect significant improvement in utilization of the Medi-Cal dental benefit. The provision of health care to the elderly has been administered through the JULY 2 0 2 2
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