A Rhode Island state lawmaker wants to restrict the amount of negotiating power that insurers have over the dentists in their provider networks.
State Rep. Brian Kennedy, D-Hopkinton, R.I., the 2008 president of the National Conference of Insurance Legislators, Troy, N.Y., has proposed the dental provider network contracting limits in a draft Model Act Banning Fee Schedules for Uncovered Dental Services.
The proposed model is set to be considered by the NCOIL Health, Long-Term Care & Health Retirement Issues Committee March 6, 2010.
The proposed model "would prohibit a dental insurance plan from requiring a dentist who provides services to its subscribers to accept a fee set by the plan unless the plan compensates the dentist for such services," according to the draft text.
A dental insurer could establish a fee schedule for covered services, but it could not impose the same fee schedule on services provided to patients who have not yet met their deductibles, or to patients who have used up their benefits, according to the draft text.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.