Tell Lawmakers
you want More
for Your Smile
Tell Lawmakers you want More for Your Smile
The More for Your Smile legislative package protects patients by increasing transparency and accountability for dental insurance companies, while ensuring more patient dollars go to patient care.
Right now, Illinois lawmakers are considering consumer-centered legislation that will require dental insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of premiums on dental benefits and quality improvement instead of administrative expenses. Other dental reform bills being considered include regulations related to network leasing, and virtual credit cards.
Join us in telling lawmakers, Illinois patients deserve more transparency, more value and more access to care.
Better Dental Benefits Urgently Needed
More than 1 in 2 Americans report skipping care or avoiding it all together because of costs, and the most frequently skipped form is dental work. Dentists care about their patients and oppose any practice – like padding insurers’ bottom line – that limit patients’ access to the care they need.
As much as 40 percent of patient premium dollars go to administrative costs like marketing, profits and bonuses, instead of being directed to patient care. Meanwhile, insurance companies are negatively impacting dentists and patients alike through tactics like Network Leasing and Virtual Credit Card payments.
The Illinois State Dental Society supports the following dental insurance reforms that achieve more for patients.
Direct Patient Dollars to Patient Care
Protects patient dollars by requiring dental insurance carriers to spend at least 80% of premium dollars on patient care rather than administrative costs, salaries and profits. This approach is already in effect in Illinois for medical insurance and this bill would establish it for dental as well.
Require Safeguards for Network Leasing
Safeguards patients and dentists by requiring dental plans to be more transparent when leasing their dental networks and ensure no provider is cancelled for declining to participate in the new leased network. For patients, network leasing means their dentist may not be able to afford to remain an in-network provider and they will need to pay for services out-of-pocket or begin the process of identifying a new dental provider.
Ban “Virtual Credit Card” Fees
Ensures dentists receive the negotiated reimbursement for patient care by preventing costly and forced fees that come with virtual credit card payments.
What People Are Saying
Want to Make a Difference?
Two simple ways to get involved
Once you’ve signed the More for Your Smile Petition, here are two simple ways to get involved.
GET IN TOUCH
Contact your legislator today and tell them you want More for Your Smile and urge them to support this legislation.
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