Dental Coverage Through the Marketplace: A 2024 Snapshot of Enrollment, Market Participation and Premiums

By Zeynep Çelik, Kevin Lucia, JoAnn Volk, Liz Bielic, and Madeline McBride

A new analysis from researchers at the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) offers a snapshot of the dental coverage landscape on the ACA Marketplaces in 2024. Using data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the analysis explores national enrollment trends and examines insurer marketplace participation and premium costs for stand-alone dental plans (SADPs) sold through the Federally Facilitated Marketplaces (FFMs) and State-based Marketplaces. The findings come at a pivotal moment, as states begin to weigh a new federal option to include adult dental benefits as essential health benefits (EHBs) starting in 2027.

Visualizing enrollment and marketplace participation across states reveals variation in SADP availability and costs. While overall marketplace enrollment has surged in recent years, SADP enrollment has grown more slowly. Although SADP premiums are low compared to qualified health plan (QHP) premiums, adult enrollees must typically cover the full cost of premiums without subsidies. The analysis presents insights into why SADP uptake remains limited and what state-specific policy decisions could mean for future dental coverage options. 

Read the full analysis here.