To delve deeply into these implications, this past fall Benefits Selling Magazine convened an expert roundtable comprised of key leaders within the vision and dental plan markets. As the two leading supplemental benefits, vision and dental plans share comparable cost structures, utilization patterns, and business models, and are often marketed and sold side-by-side. So it's not so surprising that these two separate but similar industries have been galvanized into concerted action to ensure that remarkable popularity, cost-effectiveness, and outcomes of vision and dental benefits are encompassed (rather than rolled over) by the juggernaut of healthcare reform. Moderated by Benefits Selling Contributing Editor John DeWitt and hosted by VSP Vision Care CEO Rob Lynch, this roundtable discussion also included:

Evelyn Ireland, the executive director of the Dallas-based National Association of Dental Plans (NADP)
Jim Mullen, senior legislative analyst at Delta Dental of California
Julian Roberts, the Atlanta-based executive director of both the National Association of Vision Care Plans (NAVCP) and the National Association of Specialty Health Organizations (NASHO)
Al Schubert, vice president of managed care and health policy at VSP

In a focused yet wide-ranging discussion, these five leaders within the vision and dental industries shared experiences and insights forged in the crucible of healthcare reform — and debated the potential answers and outcomes to key questions and issues including:

What is the impact of the ACA on vision and dental supplemental benefits — including both intended and unintended consequences — and what actions are the vision and dental plan industries taking to influence this impact?
How much common cause do vision and dental plan providers share in the context of healthcare reform — and in what ways does the ACA treat vision and dental plans and benefits differently?
How will vision and dental benefits be offered through the new national and state healthcare exchanges — and how much impact will these exchanges ultimately have on the provision of supplemental vision and dental coverage?
How much will the ACA (and HHS regulations that implement it) ultimately impact the way in which employee benefits (supplemental benefits in particular) are provided, and how will other developments — economic, legislative, political, or legal — affect how healthcare reform unfolds over the next several years?
With broker commissions already under pressure from large carriers, how will healthcare reform impact benefits selling professionals — including your bottom line?

A Seat at the Table for Vision and Dental Plans

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Navigating the Landscape of Healthcare Reform

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