Lawmakers in Rhode Island and Louisiana passed legislation to hold dental insurance companies more accountable through dental loss ratio bills.
Rhode Island passed Senate Bill 2873, which requires the insurance commissioner to analyze companies' financial data for 2023-25 and create a minimum dental loss ratio recommendation for 2026, according to a July 10 news release from the American Dental Association.
The commissioner will also provide a recommendation on requiring insurance carriers to offer a full health range of dental benefit plans, including options with 100% coverage.
In Rhode Island, insurance carriers will be responsible for paying a fee to cover the costs of the analysis.
Louisiana passed Senate Bill 463, which requires insurers to file a dental loss ratio report each year. The information will be made available on the state’s Department of Insurance website.
Among the information provided by the insurer is the number of enrollees in their plans, the plan cost-sharing figures, deductible amounts, annual maximum coverage limits and the number of enrollees who meet or exceed the annual coverage limits.
Virginia is the other state to pass dental loss ratio legislation in 2024. Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Washington all adopted dental loss ratio laws prior to 2024, the release said.