What about dental insurance?

A new report from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics reveals that 45 million people don't have dental coverage. The new health reforms require people to buy health insurance in 2014, but there are no such requirements for dental coverage.

According to Reuters:

Overall most non-elderly people who already have private health coverage also have a dental policy, but roughly 70 percent of those who have to buy their own health plan do not, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

Under the health reforms passed in March, adults must buy health insurance or pay a fine starting in 2014. The law does not require them to buy other types of coverage like dental or vision, although some comprehensive health care plans include the additional coverage.

While health plans must cover at minimum services like emergency care and prescription drugs, they do not have to cover oral care for adults. Dental care for children is required.

One of the biggest barriers to getting coverage if your employer doesn't offer dental insurance, is finding an individual plan. We've just updated some information on our consumer pages to include a list of individual dental carriers that we know are currently selling plans - and of course, we've included a disclaimer that the list may not be comprehensive, it's just who we know about.

And here are the key findings of the CDC's report.