Chris Murphy: “too often, basic health insurance coverage offered to federal employees does not adequately cover the cost of dental and…”

“too often, basic health insurance coverage offered to federal employees does not adequately cover the cost of dental and vision care, yet regular visits to the eye doctor and the dentist are just as important for maintaining overall health as annual visits to the M.D. That is why Chairman Davis, Rep. JoAnn Davis, Senator Susan Collins, myself and others have made the addition of supplemental dental and vision benefits to the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program a priority. According to testimony we heard last year in the Government Reform Committee, while 56 percent of Americans have dental coverage, of 150 FEHBP plans studied, only one provided dental coverage for children and only 14 provided orthodontic coverage. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options for federal employees when it comes to vision insurance either. The FEHBP is often cited as a leader and a model for health care plans across the Nation. It is unacceptable that federal employees and their families are denied quality coverage for dental and vision services. The Federal Employees Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act of 2004 seeks to address this situation by leveraging the purchasing power of the federal government to obtain supplemental dental and vision benefits for federal employees.”