The Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) ballot initiative offered to Massachusetts voters passed by an overwhelming margin, receiving 71% of the vote on November 8 with support from the AAO and other dental coalition partners. The AAO contributed financially and provided ongoing campaign consulting support to help get out the “YES” vote to bring better dental benefits to patients.
The vote outcome requires dental insurance companies in Massachusetts to spend at least 83% of premium dollars collected on dental services or refund the difference to patients, as opposed to insurance companies using the money for executive salaries or other administrative costs. This Medical Loss Ratio is already in effect in Massachusetts for medical health insurance.
When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law in 2010, it did not include Medical Loss Ratio for dental insurance. The ACA does require health insurance issuers to submit data on the proportion of premium revenues spent on clinical services and quality improvement. It also requires them to issue rebates to enrollees if this percentage does not meet minimum standards.
Under the ACA health insurers must spend at least 80% (smaller carriers) or 85% (large carriers) of premium dollars on medical care, with the rate review provisions imposing tighter limits on health insurance rate increases. The absence of Medical Loss Ratio for dental insurance in the ACA created a need for states to take a deeper look at this issue.
This successful campaign in Massachusetts paves the way for more states to make a Medical Loss Ratio change to benefit patients over dental insurance companies.
“The AAO was pleased to work with the Massachusetts Association of Orthodontists (MAO) to support the success of this Medical Loss Ratio campaign,” said Dr. Norman J. Nagel, AAO president. “It will not only benefit dental patients in Massachusetts but help set a dental insurance standard for other states to consider moving forward.”
Special thanks to Dr. Andrew Chase (MAO Public and Professional Relations Chair), Dr. Jamie Kane (MAO President) and AAO members in Massachusetts for helping to organize this ballot effort. Thanks also to the Massachusetts Dental Society, the American Dental Association, and other coalition partners for the leadership and hard work at creating success on this MLR campaign in Massachusetts.
To learn more about this Massachusetts campaign and the Medical Loss Ratio issue, please visit https://voteyeson2fordental.com/.
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Four AAO Orthodontists installed this historic dental insurance law. As the MAO Public and Professional Relations Chair, I feel compelled to recognize the orthodontists that founded this historic law, yet remained unmentioned in the article; Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah, Dr. Patricia Brown, Dr. Robert Petrosino.
To broaden the awareness brought to light in this article and tribute a, thus-far unrecognized group, the “Ballot Committee” responsible for this unprecedented insurance reform is composed of Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah (chairman), Dr. Patricia Brown, Dr. Robert Petrosino, and myself (Dr. Andrew Chase). The four of us are all long standing members of the AAO as well as the Massachusetts Association of Orthodontists.
Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah authored “Question 2” himself, and months before the Mass Dental Society or the ADA endorsed the Question, he contributed nearly $3 Million of his personal funds to ensure campaigning, advertising and communicating this change to the public would occur systematically and effectively. The honor of joining this grassroots effort, which included multiple public interviews as well as outreach to providers and patients alike, placed us and our practices squarely in the crosshairs of dental insurance companies as we worked toward success in this auspicious endeavor. This David and Goliath Battle was won by a group of Orthodontists – for a nation of patients and for the entire dental profession.
Thank you AAO, both for the support you have provided during the final weeks of this effort and for reporting on this industry-changing ballot win! This is just the beginning, and as we continue to bring this change to a federal level, I do hope that there will be an opportunity for more reporting to showcase the moving leadership details of this group of orthodontists that changed the dental industry forever.
Thank you AAO, both for the support you have provided during the final weeks of this effort and for reporting on this industry-changing ballot win! This is just the beginning, and as we continue to bring this change to a federal level, I do hope that there will be an opportunity for more reporting to showcase the moving leadership details of this group of orthodontists that changed the dental industry forever.