ADA News

Washington—Three issues top the April 12-14 ADA Washington Leadership Conference agenda. Some 600 dental advocates came to the WLC asking Congress to support these measures.

• Repeal the McCarran-Ferguson Act exemption for insurance companies. "Passage of H.R. 4626 could help encourage competition in the insurance marketplace by fostering greater antitrust enforcement against the insurance industry by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Justice Department in instances where state regulators fail to act," the Association said. "When insurance competitors are permitted to work jointly, consumers are less likely to see as much innovation and variety in the marketplace as they would in an atmosphere of robust competition. We urge the Senate to move quickly to pass H.R. 4626 this year." The U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 24 overwhelmingly passed H.R. 4626 by a vote of 406-19.
• Cosponsor the Dental Coverage Value and Transparency Act of 2010, which Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) was expected to introduce during the WLC. The legislation would bar health plans that offer dental benefits from dictating fees for procedures the plan does not cover. "This marketing ploy, which purports to save consumers money, only shifts costs to other patients," the Association said. Among other provisions, the bill would provide for uniform coordination of benefits, permit consumers to designate payment of dental benefits to non-network providers, assure same dollar coverage of procedures without regard to network participation and prohibit “bundling of procedures” and code changes inconsistent with the network agreement. "Passing this legislation would provide a more transparent, honest and equitable system for patients and their dentists," the Association said.
• Exempt small businesses including dental practices from the Red Flags regulation, which the FTC promulgated under legislation requiring financial institutions and creditors to develop and implement written identity theft (Red Flags) programs. "This interpretation of the Red Flags rule (applying it to health professionals) goes beyond the intent of Congress," the Association said. The ADA urges the Senate to move quickly to pass H.R. 3763 to exempt dentists and other small businesses with 20 or fewer employees from the regulation. The FTC has delayed enforcement of the rule until June 1, 2010. The House of Representatives by a 400-0 vote in October 2009 passed H.R. 3763, which would exempt 20-or-fewer-employee businesses from having to comply with the Red Flags rule.