Indiana Introduces Dental Insurance Legislation

Senate Bill 132, introduced by Senator Liz Brown, aims to address issues in dental insurance and healthcare practices. DeLayne Lefevre, DDS, testified before the Senate Health Committee, highlighting challenges she faced with patients unable to pay due to insurance complications. The bill seeks to regulate insurers more effectively and crucially allows patients to assign benefits to dental providers, irrespective of network affiliation. Lefevre emphasized the growing trend of patients leaving dental offices without paying, or misusing insurance refunds meant for dental care. Senate Bill 132 intends to prevent such scenarios by introducing regulations and empowering patients to assign benefits directly to dental providers. However, the proposed changes face opposition, notably from Delta Dental of Indiana, a major dental insurance provider. Delta Dental expressed concerns that allowing Assignment of Benefits might lead to smaller networks and incentivize dentists to leave insurance networks, potentially resulting in increased costs for patients. Click here to read more.