Take action—ask your Representative to support H.R. 7931, the Improving Dental Administration (IDA) Act, to help ensure fairness, consistency, and accountability in dental coverage for patients.
Right now, patients may have different protections from state dental insurance laws simply because of the way their employer-sponsored dental plan is structured. The Improving Dental Administration Act would help ensure that important consumer protections apply more consistently to dental coverage.
As a patient, you should be able to count on the same basic protections regardless of how your dental plan is funded. H.R. 7931 would help ensure that state dental insurance laws designed to protect patients apply consistently to self-funded dental coverage, not just fully insured plans.
Right now, some carriers and plan administrators argue that Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preemption allows them to avoid state laws addressing important issues such as prompt payment, noncovered services, virtual credit cards, network leasing, assignment of benefits, and continuity of prior authorization. This can leave patients with different protections and experiences—even when they receive the same care—simply because of the way their dental plan is structured.
This two-tiered system creates unnecessary confusion, delays, and expenses for patients and can interfere with timely access to care and the relationship between patients and their dentists. Patients deserve clear, consistent protections and greater accountability from those administering their dental benefits.
Congress has the opportunity to address this inequity by passing H.R. 7931 and closing the ERISA loophole that carriers often use to justify avoiding state dental insurance reforms.
Take action now and ask your Representative to support H.R. 7931. Your voice can help ensure a fairer, more consistent, and more accountable dental coverage system for patients.