Senator Stabenow Leads Successful Effort To Increase Affordable Care Act Tax Benefits For Michigan Families

After calls from Stabenow, Treasury Department announces that the cost of children’s dental care must be included when determining a family’s ACA tax credit

Monday, July 11, 2016

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) released a statement after the announcement that the Department of Treasury will increase tax credits available under the Affordable Care Act to better help families afford dental care for their children.  The announcement follows a letter Senator Stabenow sent to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew in May calling for the Department to increase tax credits to cover dental care for children. 

“Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, I have been working to make sure that the tax credits families receive cover the important benefits we fought for, such as pediatric dental coverage,” said Senator Stabenow.  “For young children, early dental care is especially important, and this decision will help make dental coverage more affordable for families in Michigan and across the country.”

Currently, when calculating how much a family receives in tax credits through the Affordable Care Act, the tax credit does not account for the cost of a standalone pediatric dental plan.  The decision will clarify that, starting in 2019, all tax credits must include the cost of pediatric dental coverage, along with all other essential health benefits, when determining the size of a family’s tax credit.  

As a senior Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Stabenow was key to ensuring that pediatric dental care was included as one of the essential health benefits available to consumers purchasing insurance through an ACA marketplace.