Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) to ensure that veterans continue to have access to dental insurance was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Friday.
The Dental Insurance Reauthorization Act, S. 3055, which was introduced by Burr and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), extends a veterans’ dental insurance pilot program that was created through legislation authored by Burr in 2010.
“We owe a great debt to our service men and women for the great sacrifices they make to keep our country safe,” Burr said. “I’m proud that my legislation to bring dental benefits to veterans is now law and that many of our service members will now be able to have this important health care benefit. This program has been successful, and opening it up to more veterans will improve overall health care. I thank my colleagues who supported this bipartisan effort.”
The dental insurance pilot program has provided coverage to veterans and their families since 2014. The program was scheduled to sunset in 2017, which would have resulted in tens of thousands of beneficiaries losing coverage.
Previously, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) only offered dental insurance to veterans who were 100 percent disabled, were prisoners of war or had a service-connected disability.
The dental insurance pilot program, which is operated through contracts with Delta Dental and MetLife, enables veterans to pay lower premiums for coverage. The premium for a single veteran who chooses a standard plan in North Carolina, for example, is $13.88 per month.
The Dental Insurance Reauthorization Act made it a statutory program to ensure that veterans, survivors and dependents can continue to receive affordable dental coverage.