A YES VOTE would regulate dental insurance rates, including by requiring companies to spend at least 83% of premiums on member dental expenses and quality improvements instead of administrative expenses, and by making other changes to dental insurance regulations.
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.