Noncovered services: House supports legislative action to counter trend
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Posted Nov. 12, 2009 |
By Arlene Furlong Honolulu—Seeking legislative action to prevent dental plans from capping the amount dentists can charge for services a plan doesn't cover, the 2009 House of Delegates adopted Resolution 59H-2009.
Dental plans began implementing contract provisions holding dentists to maximum allowed fees for services for which no benefit is available with increasing frequency last year.
Many dentists fear such provisions limit access.
"Why should insurance companies be able to charge for things that aren't even in their benefit packages?" asked Dr. Robert Plage, chair of the ADA Dental Benefit Information Service. "If dentists aren't reimbursed for services, the insurance companies won't suffer but the public may. Exercising this contract provision doesn't cost insurers a dime."
ADA News has heard from insurers on the issue. Insurers say including a maximum allowable fee as part of the benefit or plan design allows patients access to services that otherwise would not be covered. They also say the competition is doing it—a reason for employing the provision.
In its first provision, Res. 59H-2009—Maximum Fees for Noncovered Services—establishes ADA policy supporting legislative action to stop the capping of fees for nonscheduled dental services. It resolves that:
• as a matter of policy, the American Dental Association opposes any third-party contract provisions that establish fee limits for nonscheduled dental services.
"The importance of having ADA policy calling for legislative action on this is to let the insurance companies and our members know exactly where we stand on this," said Dr. Plage.
The second resolving clause says the ADA will continue to actively pursue federal legislation to prohibit ERISA covered plans from applying such provisions (ERISA supercedes state plans) and the third directs the ADA to encourage individual states to pursue legislation to prohibit insurance plans from applying noncovered services provisions. (In June, Rhode Island passed a bill preventing dental plans there from capping the amount dentists can charge for services the plan doesn't cover.)
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 is a federal law that sets minimum standards for retirement and health benefit plans in private industry.
The second and third clauses of Res. 59H-2009—Maximum Fees for Noncovered Services—resolves as follows:
• that the American Dental Association continue to actively pursue passage of federal legislation to prohibit ERISA covered plans from applying such provisions;
• that the American Dental Association encourage constituent dental societies to work for the passage of state legislation to prohibit insurance plans from applying such provisions.
The Council on Dental Benefit Programs prioritizes the noncovered services issue as one of dentists' top concerns and is working with the Council on Government Affairs to introduce federal legislation that would get directly at the issue for ERISA plans (federally regulated plans). State legislatures cannot effect changes to ERISA.
"This resolution accomplishes a lot," commented Dr. Plage. "It formally establishes our policy, while giving our members and our respective state dental societies direction on what to do."
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