Government Relations
The Pennsylvania General Assembly wrapped up the first year of its legislative session , having taken action on a few health-related bills like telehealth , the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and the COVID waivers that were set to expire as of September 30 . Legislators will return to their districts until late January … which means now is the perfect time to call or visit them to discuss PDA ’ s legislative issues and offer yourself as a resource . Take them out for coffee or meet up for lunch . Or simply call or send them an email if you are pressed for time . We ’ ll provide the talking points and coach you on what to say . Just give us a call at ( 800 ) 223-0016 !
Assignment of Benefits ( SB 850 )
On October 22 , PDA participated in a stakeholder meeting hosted by staff for Sen . John DiSanto , chair of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee , to discuss PDA ’ s top legislative priority : assignment of benefits legislation . Sen . Judy Ward , who agreed to champion the issue on our behalf , introduced SB 850 in September and now the committee must first vote to “ move ” SB 850 to the Senate floor .
The meeting gave us an opportunity to state our case for why Pennsylvania should have a dental assignment of benefits law , refute arguments made by the insurance lobbyists and to hash out amendments offered by the insurance lobbyists to weaken the bill . To give you an idea of what we ’ re up against , there were lobbyists for the Insurance Federation , Independence Blue Cross , Capitol Blue , Delta Dental , United Concordia and Geisinger at the meeting , and all of them oppose SB 850 ( That ’ s why it is critical that each of you donate to PADPAC and become a contact dentist and establish a relationship with your legislators . We face formidable resistance from the insurance lobbyists in Harrisburg , but PDA members have the advantage of creating a groundswell of support for SB 850 at the grassroots level ). Staff at the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance also attended to learn more about the issue , but remain neutral at this time .
The insurers brought up the same tired old arguments from before . They claim that assignment of benefits will destroy provider networks and make dental care more expensive for their subscribers . They also confuse legislators with the issue of “ surprise ” balance billing , claiming that non-participating providers surprise patients with a balance bill after service is rendered . They even proposed amendments to SB 850 that would require all dentists to become Medicaid providers and
subject non-participating providers to audits of any claim . PDA countered all of these arguments and proposed amendments with studies conducted by ADA and other independent entities proving that assignment of benefits laws do not result in an erosion of networks or increased costs to patients . We were also able to dispel the notion that patients are surprised by the cost of dental care , similar to how they may be surprised by a bill from an out-of-network anesthesiologist who treats them in a hospital setting .
There is still more work that needs to be done . PDA ’ s staff and lobbyists are working with Senate staffers to craft language that makes clear that patients have the option of assigning their benefit and that dentists must disclose to patients in advance that there may be a balance to pay after the insurer pays the claim . We will also address the issue of audits and thwart any effort to include mandated participation in the Medicaid program .
A special thank you goes out to the volunteer leaders who took time away from their busy practices and families to attend the stakeholder meeting and advocate for all dentists and patients ! They did an outstanding job countering the insurers ’ arguments and provided their own unique perspectives as to how an assignment of benefits law would have helped their patients .
Dr . Brice Arndt , Government Relations Committee Dr . Darleen Oleski , Chair , Government Relations Committee Dr . James Tauberg , past PDA President Dr . Andrew Zimmerman , Dental Benefits Committee
On October 22 , Dr . Brice Arndt , PDA lobbyist Peg Kuskin , Dr . Darleen Oleski and Dr . Andrew Zimmerman attended a stakeholder meeting to lobby for PDA ’ s assignment of benefits legislation . PDA past president Dr . Jim Tauberg joined the meeting virtually .
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 7