(1) An issuer of a health benefit plan may satisfy the requirement of WAC 284-43-5720 in any one of the following ways.

(a) A health benefit plan includes pediatric dental benefits as an embedded benefit; or

(b) A separate health benefit plan is offered without pediatric dental benefits, if and only if, the issuer receives reasonable assurance that the applicant has obtained or will obtain pediatric dental benefits through a stand-alone dental plan certified as a qualified dental plan. This reasonable assurance must be received by the issuer within sixty days.

(i) "Reasonable assurance" means receipt of proof of coverage from the stand-alone dental plan and a signed attestation of coverage from the applicant. In cases where the enrollment process is for a health plan and a dental plan that are being jointly purchased (bundled), verification by the dental carrier of enrollment in the dental plan and transmission of the enrollment confirmation to the health carrier will be considered reasonable assurance.

(ii) The health benefit plan issuer has the responsibility to obtain any required documents establishing reasonable assurance at the initial application and every renewal.

(iii) The stand-alone dental plan issuer has the responsibility for providing the proof of coverage upon request of the health benefit plan issuer or applicant. If a health benefit plan issuer requests proof of coverage for an applicant, the stand-alone dental issuer must provide proof of coverage or inform the health benefit plan issuer that no coverage exists. The stand-alone dental issuer must respond within thirty days of a request for proof of coverage.

(iv) The health benefit plan issuer may issue coverage prior to receiving reasonable assurance. If the health benefit plan issuer receives the reasonable assurance within sixty days of the effective date of the health benefit plan, the enrollee's stand-alone dental coverage will be considered to satisfy the requirement of WAC 284-43-5700 or 284-43-5702, as appropriate. If the health benefit plan issuer does not receive reasonable assurance within the sixty days provided in (iii) of this subsection, the health benefit plan issuer must discontinue the health benefit plan for that applicant unless and until the health benefit plan issuer receives reasonable assurance that the applicant has obtained pediatric dental benefits as required under the ACA.

(2) Nothing in this section precludes issuing ACA compliant pediatric dental benefits as part of a family dental plan sold as group or individual coverage.