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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 23, 2015 12:48 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator John H. Eichelberger, Jr. |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Assignment of Dental Benefits |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that would direct insurance companies to pay a dentist directly for services rendered to a patient. This concept is known as assignment-of-benefits. Twenty-two other states have enacted similar legislation, which gives patients the right to choose their providers based on their preference, even if the dentist does not participate within the patient’s insurance plan. Specifically, this bill would allow a patient to authorize payment of insurance benefits directly to the dental service provider in accordance with the provisions of their insurance policy. Payment to the dental service provider from the insurer may not exceed the amount that the insurer would otherwise have paid without the assignment of payment. Without assignment-of-benefits, patients are forced to pay for the full amount of the dental service upfront – which can be quite cost-prohibitive – or the dentist may risk performing a service without guarantee of payment. Assignment-of-benefits remedies this situation for all parties and thus improves access to care. The bill is a companion to House Bill 973 (Saylor). I invite you to join me in sponsoring this proposal. |
Introduced as SB843