(a) General requirements. The Exchange must allow the offering of a limited scope dental benefits plan through the Exchange, if—

(1) The plan meets the requirements of section 9832(c)(2)(A) of the Code and 2791(c)(2)(A) of the PHS Act; and

(2) The plan covers at least the pediatric dental essential health benefit as defined in section 1302(b)(1)(J) of the Affordable Care Act, provided that, with respect to this benefit, the plan satisfies the requirements of section 2711 of the PHS Act; and

(3) The plan and issuer of such plan meets QHP certification standards, including §155.1020(c), except for any certification requirement that cannot be met because the plan covers only the benefits described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(b) Offering options. The Exchange may allow the dental plan to be offered—

(1) As a stand-alone dental plan; or

(2) In conjunction with a QHP.

(c) Sufficient capacity. An Exchange must consider the collective capacity of stand-alone dental plans during certification to ensure sufficient access to pediatric dental coverage.

(d) QHP Certification standards. If a plan described in paragraph (a) of this section is offered through an Exchange, another health plan offered through such Exchange must not fail to be treated as a QHP solely because the plan does not offer coverage of benefits offered through the stand-alone plan that are otherwise required under section 1302(b)(1)(J) of the Affordable Care Act.