Dentists regularly rate dental insurance issues among the most important concerns facing the profession today.  

The good news: Many reform measures that improve how patients and dentists experience and use dental insurance have passed in recent years, and these reforms shift the balance of power from insurance companies back to the dental office — which, in turn, strengthens doctor-patient relationships. 

In fact, from 2018 to 2023, state dental societies — with the help of the American Dental Association’s State Public Affairs program — have successfully advocated for 149 new state laws that have helped tip the scales in favor of dentists and patients. With these new laws, there are now at least 240 dental insurance reform laws on the books across the U.S.

When multiple states are fighting for similar reforms, that’s not lost among dental insurance companies.

“They are very aware of what the ADA is doing,” said Mark A. Vitale, D.M.D., chair of the New Jersey Dental Political Action Committee. “That is where the strength in numbers comes in — they pay attention when dentists come together to move the needle on issues that are important to dentists and their patients. That’s why our tripartite’s unified voice is critical as we work to make change across the nation.”

Read the Full ADA Article Here