15 November 2022

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Massachusetts medical loss ratios ballot initiative passes

ADA: A terrific win for patients, dental teams

Mary Guiden

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Massachusetts voters have approved Question 2, a ballot measure that calls for dental insurance carriers to establish a medical loss ratio for dentistry so that patients can receive more value from the premiums they pay, according to a news release from the American Dental Association (ADA).

The Massachusetts Dental Society said that the first-in-the-nation dental insurance reform will assure patient dollars are spent on patient care, protect consumers from large increases in dental insurance premiums and provide increased transparency of and accountability for dental insurer spending.

In a news release, the society said the improved dental benefits and consumer protections afforded by Question 2 are “poised to be replicated in states across the country.”

The Massachusetts Dental Society, ADA, New York State Dental Association and American Association of Endodontics endorsed a “yes” vote on Question 2 and led the campaign for its passage through the Massachusetts Dental Care Providers for Better Dental Benefits Committee.

“Together, we put patients first over profits,” said Dr. Meredith Bailey, president of the Massachusetts Dental Society. “Dental patients deserve the same consumer protections as medical patients, and we are hopeful that the better dental benefits that the people of Massachusetts will soon experience will spread to patients across the country,” she said.

The measure also requires the state's carriers to spend at least 83% of premium dollars on patient care rather than on administrative costs, salaries and profits.

ADA President Dr. George R. Shepley, D.D.S., said what happened in Massachusetts sets a “shining example of where we can go in our future endeavors in dental insurance reform and what we can do to help our patients."

The ADA committed $5.5 million to the Massachusetts Dental Care Providers for Better Dental Benefits campaign. Shepley and others from the ADA and Massachusetts Dental Society, including Bailey, stopped at several polling places across Massachusetts on Election Day to meet with dentists and voters.

Learn more on https://voteyeson2fordental.com/