The Illinois State Dental Society's legislative agenda in 2024 is centered around dental insurance reform, the Dental Practice Act and the Illinois Medicaid Program, according to a Feb. 15 news release.
Here is a breakdown of the organization's 2024 legislative plan:
Dental insurance reform
- Establishing a dental loss ratio to improve patient care, and transparency from dental insurance companies.
- Protecting patients from surprise insurance denials by trying to limit insurers' ability to backtrack on their commitments.
- Making electronic claim submissions more simple. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, dentists will have to submit insurance claims electronically. The ISDS wants to extend the compliance deadline, provide exemptions, improve patient information from insurers and make insurers provide a claims system for dentists to use.
Dental Practice Act
- The society is introducing two pieces of legislation to amend the Dental Practice Act: one to boost consumer protection for DIY teeth straightening products and another to prevent setbacks for dentistry licensing.
Illinois Medicaid program
- Seeking to raise reimbursement rates for deep sedation dentistry and anesthesia to improve access to care.
- Creating more clear guidelines for determining which individuals qualify for orthodontics Medicaid coverage.