In The News
Massachusetts becomes first state in the nation to deliver consumer dental protections, more states poised to follow
November 8, 2022 – Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approved ballot Question 2 with 72% of the vote, delivering first-in-the-nation dental insurance reform that will assure patient dollars are spent on patient care, protect consumers from …
Forcing dental insurers to spend more of the premiums they collect on actual patient care would be a step in the right direction.
For many Americans, what makes visiting the dentist so unpleasant has nothing to do with the work that’s done while they’re sitting in the dentist’s chair; it’s the fact that they have to deal with what is far too often inadequate dental insurance, if they even have insurance in the first place.
Question 2 on the Massachusetts statewide ballot is very simple: 83% of the money dental insurance companies collect from you, the patients, should be spent on dental care, otherwise you get the difference back. That’s why a yes vote on Question 2 is so critical on Nov. 8.
Opponents of Question …
Working as a dental hygienist is a fulfilling career. I have a healthy schedule of patients that I see every three or six months, and I care about every single one of them.
In dental hygiene, we’re prevention specialists, and we’re fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time …
Healthcare is expensive for employers and employees alike. In the upcoming election, voters have a chance to get more value from what they are already paying for dental care and be protected from large increases in premiums by voting yes on Question 2.
If Question 2 is approved, 83% of patient …
Ballot Question 2 asks voters to create a law regulating dental insurance plans in Massachusetts. A yes vote would require dental insurers to spend at least 83 percent of premiums on member dental expenses and quality improvements, and would also require dental insurance companies to report financial information about their income and expenditures to the Massachusetts Division of Insurance.
Patient dollars should go to patient care, not to the profits of dental insurance companies and their executives. Question 2, the Medical Loss Ratios for Dental Insurance Plans Initiative, would improve the quality of dental care and ensure that at least 83 percent of premium dollars paid to dental insurers …
How much of dental insurance premium should pay for dental care?
In terms of statewide issues: Question 2 refers to the dental insurance industry and asks voters to decide whether insurance companies should be obliged to spend 83% of premium dollars on patient care.
Supports consumer protection measure to require dental insurers to invest more resources in direct patient care as opposed to exorbitant CEO salaries and other administrative costs.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association Board of Directors – 27 elected nurses and healthcare professionals representing the largest union and professional association of registered nurses and healthcare professionals in the Commonwealth – has endorsed an important ballot initiative calling for dental insurance reform, which will appear as Question 2 on the November Ballot.
The Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) Board of Trustees has endorsed achieving its long-sought goal of reforming dental insurance Medical Loss Ratios (MLRs) through the question on track to appear on the statewide ballot in November. The referendum will ensure MLRs apply to dental plans in the same way they currently apply to medical plans. This ballot initiative would make dental providers more transparent and accountable to the patients they serve.
Massachusetts law establishes an 88% medical loss ratio for medical insurance plans. Nationally, the Affordable Care Act requires medical insurance plans to minimally operate at an 85% MLR for larger carriers and 80% MLR for smaller providers. However, there is currently no medical loss ratio for dental insurers.
