Opinion: Dental insurance: the complexities and pitfalls

Last year, the Nevada legislature unanimously passed a bill that ensures dental insurance premiums are primarily spent on dental care. The Patients Before Profits legislation requires dental insurers to allocate at least 75 percent of premiums towards patient care. The remaining 25 percent can be allocated for various overhead costs, including marketing, administration and CEO bonuses

Additionally, dental insurers are obligated to report their expenditure of premiums, referred to as the medical loss ratio, to the Nevada Division of Insurance. This measure aims to enhance oversight, ensure accountability, and promote transparency in the dental insurance industry. These are laws are necessary because of the conflicting goals of insurers and health care providers, writes Paul Klein, a lobbyist with TriStrategies, a Nevada government relations and public affairs firm that represents the Nevada Dental Association

“Dental insurance companies, with their dazzling brochures and impressive jargon, promise to safeguard our pearly whites from the perils of cavities and root canals. But, as with all things in life, there is a catch,” Mr. Klein wrote. “Dental insurers, you see, are masters of the fine print. They lure us in with promises of low premiums and comprehensive coverage, only to reveal that their plans are more complex than a mouthful of braces and colorful bands.”

 

The article presented here is intended to inform you about the broader media perspective on dentistry, regardless of its alignment with the ADA's stance. It is important to note that publication of an article does not imply the ADA's endorsement, agreement, or promotion of its content.