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February 7, 2013

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News affecting dental benefits

Industry News

Mass. policy shift acknowledges economic benefits of dental coverage
Massachusetts restored Medicaid coverage for some dental services for adults, including fillings in front teeth, in part because studies have shown people with good teeth have an easier time finding a job than their peers with poor oral health. Gov. Deval Patrick proposed completely restoring Medicaid dental benefits for adults by mid-2014. However, many providers limit the number of Medicaid patients they will treat, if any, due to low reimbursement rates and high administrative costs, potentially blunting the impact of the shift. Governing.com/View blog (2/6)

Insurers gear up for new health care landscape under ACA
Facing fresh regulatory and marketplace challenges as major Affordable Care Act provisions come into effect next year, insurance companies are exploring new markets and novel approaches to payment and quality including forging deeper relationships with providers while testing new avenues for reaching consumers such as retail stores to connect with the public directly and private exchanges. “No question, the pace and magnitude of change are immense,” said Catherine P. Bessant, of Florida Blue’s board. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (2/5)

Study: Many workers would delay retirement to keep health benefits
For workers age 21 and over, 53% say they will delay retirement longer than they originally hoped because they need the employer-provided health insurance, an Employee Benefit Research Institute study finds. Workers say if they were guaranteed health care benefits when they retired, 27% would retire earlier than planned, an increase from the 15% reported in 2003, EBRI says. The Wall Street Journal/At Work blog (2/1)

Patients overload clinics after Calif. cuts Medicaid dental benefits
Dentists at clinics in California say that since the state cut Medicaid dental benefits for adults, they increasingly extract teeth that could have been saved with a filling. Hospital emergency departments are treating an overwhelming number of patients in need of dental care, and clinics that had projected declining caseloads a few years ago have seen an increase instead. San Francisco Chronicle (1/31)

Experts: Plan carefully to maximize dental office tax breaks
Some dentists will pay higher income taxes under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, but the law also increases tax breaks for equipment purchases and extends breaks for certain leasehold improvements. In this article, experts discuss ways dental practices can plan to maximize tax breaks and minimize tax liabilities. DrBicuspid.com (free registration) (2/6)

N.Y. health exchange prepares to sign up insurance companies
Insurers have until Feb. 15 to signal their interest in participating in New York's health insurance exchange. Companies that market their plans through the exchange will be expected to meet state and federal requirements, such as offering comprehensive coverage and capping out-of-pocket costs. San Francisco Chronicle/The Associated Press (2/3)

Other News

Health care benefits: Who's covered, who isn't and how much do employers pay?
BenefitsPro.com (2/4)

Provider Management Suite
The Enterprise System Provider Management Suite is designed to simplify the administration of provider and clinic location information, fee schedules, and reimbursement schedules, as well as dramatically improve the efficiency of your provider contracting and credentialing efforts. Learn more about the features and benefits.

Oral Health

Technology brings dental care to schools, nursing homes
A demonstration project in California is providing dental care to low-income schoolchildren, elderly residents of long-term care facilities and people with disabilities. Dental hygienists and assistants collect dental images with portable equipment and upload them along with patient information to a website, allowing a dentist to evaluate the data and develop a treatment plan or refer patients to a local dentist. HealthyCal.org (2/5)

Company News

Referrals, repeat customers drive record sales for DentalInsurance.com

Delta Dental superhero teaches N.J. kids about oral health

NADP News

Network Statistics now available on Report Vault
The Annual NADP/DDPA Network Statistics report contains specific information on Dental HMO, Dental PPO, and Discount Dental provider networks at the national and state level. The Report is available on the NADP Report Vault Page for free download or purchase depending on membership category. To download or purchase, please login on the NADP website and visit the Report Vault Page in the “Research and Publication” section.

NADP/LIMRA release Administrative Metric Report
The current business environment – a weak economy, high price sensitivity and health care reform requirements – highlight the importance of effective management of administrative components of dental plans. Insightful data from the NADP/LIMRA 2011 U.S. Group Dental Administrative Metrics report can help you sharpen your competitive edge in this business environment. In addition to recredentialing and recruitment data, the report includes administrative metrics regarding ID cards, Certificates of Coverage and document delivery; provider credentialing (timing and documentation); and provider directories updates and provider network updates. It is available for purchase via the Report Vault page of the NADP website.

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