Alabama dentists call for dental insurance reform
Dentists in Alabama have sounded the alarm on the state of dental insurance, according to a news article from WSFA 12.
A coalition of dentists and dental students held a news conference at the state’s capitol to speak out against dental insurance policies that may be discouraging dental professionals from practicing in Alabama. For instance, they stressed that there isn’t currently a set percentage of insurance premiums dental insurance providers must designate to the cost of care, and patients are often forced to delay or skip dental care. These dental insurance plan policies can make it challenging to open a new dental practice in Alabama.
Because residents in a large proportion of Alabama counties face limited or no access to dental care — with some counties seeing an aging population of practicing dentists or no dentists at all — the advocates urged policymakers to consider dental insurance reform. If proposed legislation is passed into law, 83% and 75% of group and individual plan premiums, respectively, will be required to be allocated toward patient care without raising the costs of premiums, thereby prioritizing dental health.
Read more: WSFA 12
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