Preventive Medicine

A key element to minimizing the burden of health care costs in America is preventive medicine. One leading eye insurance provider estimated that its major clients saved more than $1 million each year through early detection of manageable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol that can lead to major health problems if left untreated.

Catching and treating serious health conditions through early detection has benefits beyond cost savings for businesses - focusing on early treatment and reducing major, expensive procedures allows providers to minimize costs. Major providers of dental insurance for individuals and groups have focused on preventive care as a way to combat rising costs. This includes active outreach programs to encourage plan members to undergo regular maintenance procedures such as yearly check-ups, cleanings, x-rays and fluoride rinses, many of which are covered by basic plans.

Such preventive dental care is especially important with children, since dental health problems they develop can lead to much greater problems further down the road. But while many children are covered by their family dental insurance, there exists a large portion of the population who are lacking coverage. A recent University of Michigan study found that 12 million children in the United States have "serious barriers" to obtaining proper dental care, such as their family not being able to afford coverage or having trouble finding dentists that accept their insurance.

However, the numbers are improvements over past studies, and show that more children are getting quality dental care at an early age than ever before. Still, the study cites a significant gap in utilization of services between children covered through private insurance versus government-funded programs.