Affordable Care Act - Individuals

In the Health Insurance Marketplace, you generally can get dental coverage as part of a health plan or by itself through a separate, stand-alone dental plan. Under the health care law, dental insurance is treated differently for adults and children 18 and under. Dental coverage for children is an essential health benefit. This means it must be available to you as part of a health plan or as a free-standing plan. This is not the case for adults. Insurers don’t have to offer adult dental coverage. Starting in 2014, you must have health coverage or pay a fee. But this is not true for dental coverage. You do not need to have dental coverage to avoid the penalty.