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
CANTON, Mass., August 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Nurses Association – 27 elected nurses and health care professionals representing the largest union and professional association of registered nurses and health care professionals in the Commonwealth – has approved an initiative to important ballot measure calling for dental insurance reform, which will appear as Question 2 on the November ballot.
The measure, the Medical Loss Reporting Initiative for Dental Insurance Plans, provides significant consumer protection by requiring dental insurers to invest more of their premium dollars in direct oral care for patients, as opposed to current practice of these resources being diverted to excessive executive. salaries and other administrative expenses. The measure imposes spending requirements on dental insurers similar to those already in place for medical insurers. Currently in Massachusetts, 88% of health insurance premiums must be used for treatment, otherwise, it is returned to the subscriber as a discount. This is called an annual total medical loss report. A question 2 vote would require dental insurers to spend 83% of insurance premiums on patient care, and if funds remain unspent, the excess would be rebated to subscribers.
“As nurses and health professionals, we have long supported initiatives to require insurers and other providers to use their vast resources to deliver care to the patients they claim to be there to serve, and “That’s what this measure will do for those covered by dental insurance plans,” he said Katie Murphy, RNpresident of MNA, which represents 25,000 RNs and health care professionals working in 85 different health care facilities from Cape Cod in the Berkshires. “We also strongly oppose any and all corporate practices that allow greed and profiteering to interfere with or limit patients’ access to the care they need.”
For example, according to a recent 2019 tax filing for Delta Dental, the state’s largest dental insurer, the corporation paid executive bonuses, commissions and payments to affiliates of 382 million dollarspaying only 177 million dollars for patient care. In addition to the premium spending requirements, the measure requires transparency from insurers in reporting exactly how premium dollars are allocated, which is of great value to consumers, whether they are businesses or individuals covered by these plans.
“As caregivers in a variety of settings, we understand that access to quality dental care is an essential component of every resident’s health and wellness. Untreated dental issues can contribute to a variety of serious medical conditions, including COPD, heart disease and strokes.” Terms Murphy often refers to herself as a critical care nurse. “This initiative recognizes the importance of dental care on a par with other forms of medical care and will hold insurers accountable for providing an appropriate level of care,” Murphy concluded.
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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest registered nurse association in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 25,000 members advance the nursing profession by promoting high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general well-being of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic image of nursing, and lobbying legislators and regulatory agencies on issues of health care affecting nurses and the public.
SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association
