INSURANCE CONNECTION
PDA Takes United Concordia Dental to PA Insurance Commissioner
In response to United Concordia
Dental’s (UCCI) recent decision to reduce
fees, PDA is aggressively protecting our
members’ best interests by immediately
pursuing a state investigation of this
highly questionable action. Hearing your
growing and serious concerns, PDA’s
legal counsel Thomas J. Weber, Esq.,
sent a letter to the Commissioner of the
Pennsylvania Department of Insurance
on June 1 requesting an investigation of
dental insurers’ unfair policies, arguing
that the uneven playing field in which
insurers dominate is detrimental to both
dental providers and the patients they
serve.
PDA will continue to work on your
behalf, making sure that policymakers
understand how dental insurers’ egregious
practices impact dentists and your ability
to render quality care, and the need for
them to investigate and hold these
insurers accountable. Please stay tuned
to the Journal, PDA website and eNews
Update as we monitor this issue and
determine further appropriate action to
take on our members’ behalf.
PDA expends a significant amount of
resources advocating on your behalf in
regards to third-party payer issues in the
legislative and regulatory arenas. Recently,
we succeeded in passing legislation
requiring insurers to cover general
anesthesia when needed for dental care
and a prohibition of insurers capping what
dentists may charge for non-covered
services. Currently, we are at the forefront
of lobbying for legislation that would
require assignment of dental benefits and
a limitation to how far back insurers may
retroactively review and deny claims that
have already been paid.
Our work has now shifted to the
Governor’s Administration and the
regulatory front, where we will make our
members’ concerns
with UCCI a
top priority.
UCCI
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