Whatever your opinion on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you cannot deny that its passage has resulted in a wide-open market for dental brokers. Now that ACA subsidies have been sustained, here's an analysis of what to expect next for dental insurance brokers:

• Because dental coverage isn't part and parcel of the ACA, dental insurance brokers will now find that they'll be able to offer many more plans, especially those plans that cover adults—since dental services aren't considered essential healthcare services for adults, they're not covered under the ACA. Without this coverage, adults going to the dentist will find themselves taking 100% of dental costs out of their pockets.
• If the plan that someone has signed up for doesn't include dental coverage, she or he can sign up for a separate and stand-alone plan. This, too, means that dental insurance brokers will be finding a whole new demographic of people that will need dental insurance—meaning that you must become more competitive with your prices if you want to remain viable in the marketplace.
• Another demographic that will require dental insurance is the demographic that originally did not sign up for dental insurance, but due to circumstances beyond their control—divorce, loss of job, changing healthcare needs—now require dental insurance. Again, these people will require affordable dental insurance options—perhaps more so than any other group of people. It is up to you to be competitive with your prices.
• Finally, for those with children, a dental healthcare plan must be made available for them, as it's considered an essential health benefit. It can be considered part of a whole healthcare plan, or it can be offered as a standalone plan. Either way, it must be made available to children (or, more specifically, the parents of children who will be purchasing the plan).

Remember that ancillary benefits are an important part of your broker business. Not only do they provide a diversified benefits package for your clients, but they are also an important part of your revenue stream!