G ove r n men t Re lat ions
PDA Achieves Victory in Fight for
Assignment of Benefits Senate vote on SB 373:
On January 23, the Pennsylvania Senate passed SB 373 by a vote
of 35-15. Alloway, Richard(R); Argall, David(R); Aument, Ryan(R);
Bartolotta, Camera(R); Blake, John(D); Boscola, Lisa(D); Brooks,
Michele(R); Browne, Patrick(R); Corman, Jake(R); DiSanto, John
(F)(R); Dinniman, Andrew(D); Eichelberger, John(R); Folmer,
Mike(R); Gordner, John(R); Greenleaf, Stewart(R); Hutchinson,
Scott(R); Langerholc, Wayne (F)(R); Laughlin, Daniel (F)(R);
Leach, Daylin(D); Martin, Scott (F)(R); McIlhinney, Charles(R);
Mensch, Bob(R); Rafferty, John(R); Regan, Mike (F)(R);
Reschenthaler, Guy(R); Scarnati, Joseph(R); Scavello, Mario(R);
Stefano, Patrick(R); Tomlinson, Robert(R); Vogel, Jr., Elder(R);
Vulakovich, Randy(R); Wagner, Scott(R); Ward, Kim(R); White,
Donald(R); Yaw, Gene(R)
SB 373, PDA’s legislation requiring insurers to assign benefits,
on patient’s request, to non-participating dentists, now moves
to the House of Representatives’ Insurance Committee for
consideration.
Assignment of benefits legislation is PDA’s top priority this
legislative session. PDA’s lobbyist, staff and volunteer
leaders drafted the legislation, found sponsors to introduce
bills in both the House of Representatives and Senate, and
spearheaded negotiations in both chambers to garner
enough support for legislative leaders to begin moving
the bill through the Senate Consumer and Protection and
Appropriations Committees to the full Senate. It is a
monumental feat moving an insurance bill , one ardently
opposed by the insurance lobby, through the legislature.
PDA’s strength in advocacy proves that your dues dollars are
hard at work.
We need a united front to counter the insurance lobbyists hard
at work opposing this bill.
Your participation in this process is essential to moving SB 373
through the House of Representatives, and on to Governor
Wolf for his signature. Stay tuned for PDA’s action alerts
requesting that you contact your state representative about
assignment of benefits and the need to support SB 373.
It will only take a few minutes of your time – we provide talking
points and a sample letter. Many representatives and their staff
will literally track the number of phone calls, emails and letters
they receive before deciding which way to vote. Which way will
they vote if they only hear from the insurance lobby? Please
contact your representative today!
PDA thanks the hundreds of you who have responded to our
action alerts. This victory illustrates how the collective voice
of organized dentistry can make a positive difference for your
profession and patients.
Look to see if your senator voted in favor of SB373. Please take a
few minutes to thank him or her personally. A thank you from
constituents goes a long way to establishing relationships that
help dentistry achieve legislative victories.
AYES – 35
NAYS – 15
Baker, Lisa(R); Brewster, Jim(D); Costa, Jay(D); Farnese,
Lawrence(D); Fontana, Wayne(D); Haywood, Arthur(D); Hughes,
Vincent(D); Killion, Thomas(R); McGarrigle, Thomas(R); Sabatina,
John(D); Schwank, Judy(D); Street, Sharif (F)(D); Tartaglione,
Christine(D); Williams, Anthony(D); Yudichak, John(D)
ASSIGNMENT OF BENEFITS TALKING POINTS
Some patients cannot see their dentist of choice because some
insurance companies do not directly pay the non-participating
provider, and the patient cannot afford to pay for services
upfront. Dentists who do not require advanced payment may
never be paid for services rendered. This insurance practice
unfairly inhibits patients from seeking care from their dentist of
choice, even though they are paying for a benefit that should
be able to be applied to any provider, regardless of whether or
not the provider participates with the insurance plan. The
insurance is a purchased product and belongs to the patient.
Absence of assignment of benefits legislation forces patients to
pay upfront for treatment they may not be able to afford. This
can be particularly difficult for divorced or separated parents,
single parents and low-income families. It would be much easier
for patients to have the ability to assign their dental benefit
directly to the provider.
Parents who are divorced or separated may experience the
problem where one parent has custody of a child, while the other
parent carries the insurance. The latter may never send the
insurance check to the custodial parent, who had to pay for
MARCH/AP RIL 2018 | P EN N SYLVAN IA DEN TAL JOURNAL
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