Together, we can fortify our advocacy endeavors, shape policies conducive to our profession, and leave a lasting impact on the communities we serve.
The mission of the Washington State Dental Association is to empower its members to advocate for, and deliver, optimal healthcare. This guiding principle propels our efforts in advancing the profession of dentistry.
This legislative session, we took significant strides by collaborating with legislators across party lines to introduce crucial legislation [see inset] in support of this mission. However, the short, 60-day 2024 session provided limited opportunities to move bills past the finish line. So, the work initiated this year is just the beginning, a chance to introduce lawmakers to important issues impacting patient care. We will be asking WSDA members for active support and engagement during the 2024 interim and again in the longer 2025 session to ensure the successful passage of this legislation that benefits our profession and those we serve.
Challenges exist, even within our own sphere, to advance vital dental legislation. We saw that first hand this session with House Bill 1655, a bill that would have required contracts between an insurance company and a provider to include compensation rate increases for providers not affiliated with hospitals, based on annual changes in the Consumer Price Index. Regrettably, standalone dental plans were removed from HB 1655 as a result of lobbying by Delta Dental, and the bill died in House Appropriation. This serves as a reminder that we must do more to connect the dots for lawmakers about legislative impacts to patients and the practice of dentistry.
Collaboration is the cornerstone of our advocacy efforts. As we embark on building awareness and support of our initiatives over the remainder of 2024, we are committed to enhancing our association’s impact and securing legislative victories collectively. Our focus remains steadfast on three primary fronts: grassroots organizing, political engagement, and association collaboration.
At the heart of our association are our members. We understand the pivotal role of grassroots organizing in directly engaging members with legislators and educating communities about pertinent issues. In the coming year, we will foster connections between dentists and legislators at the local level, laying the groundwork for meaningful dialogue in future sessions. This endeavor is critical as we advocate for legislation crucial to advancing our industry, such as out-of-network reimbursement parity, establishing a minimum dental loss ratio for dental benefit plans, and enhancing the dental workforce.
DentPAC, our political action committee, serves as a formidable tool in effecting change. Political engagement is indispensable as we extend our support to legislators who share our priorities. By strategically allocating resources and backing, we aim not only to secure electoral success but also to cultivate alliances that champion our cause in legislative chambers and those who influence our profession, such as the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. It is critically important that we support the reelection of legislators who align with our values and endorse WSDA member dentists running for office. For instance, in the upcoming election, we will focus on reelecting State Rep. Michelle Caldier and electing John Gibbons, immediate past president of WSDA (as described in the cover story of this issue). Having member dentists in each caucus amplifies our influence on legislation affecting the profession, as well as on other important health care issues.
Nevertheless, our journey does not culminate here. We recognize the significance of expanding our network of allies. Association collaboration plays a pivotal role in broadening our reach and amplifying our message. We are actively engaging with more associations, non-profits, and non-dental allies to highlight the far-reaching implications of dental issues and garner support from diverse quarters. Political strength derives from unity and diversity. Therefore, we must involve various stakeholders, including community organizations requiring dental care, and those advocating for the protection of the provider-patient relationship to all speak with a consistent voice on our issues.
Your active participation is indispensable. There are numerous way you can contribute to building a robust, organized association advocacy program: attending component society events, engaging with legislators, attending and contributing to fundraisers, and participating in meetings with non-profits and other associations. Your involvement is pivotal in realizing our vision of ensuring that every dentist in every legislative district is acquainted with their legislators by name, enabling us all to contribute to these collective efforts.
Together, we can fortify our advocacy endeavors, shape policies conducive to our profession, and leave a lasting impact on the communities we serve.
WSDA Legislation
This session, WSDA collaborated with legislators and key stakeholders on legislation to address dental workforce, patient benefit and insurance issues. Our efforts on these bills will carry over to the 2025 legislative session.
House Bill 1655 (Provider Contract Provisions)
This bill would have required contracts between an insurance company and a provider to include a compensation rate increase for providers not affiliated with hospitals, based on annual changes in the Consumer Price Index. Regrettably, standalone dental plan were removed from HB 1655 as a result of lobbying by Delta Dental; the bill died in House Appropriation.
House Bill 2176 (Preventive Dental Assistants)
Washington’s dental workforce continues to experience a shortage of dental hygienists. HB 2176 would help address this shortage by creating a “preventive dental assistant” license that would permit licensees to provide basic preventive care under supervision of a dentist. It would also require applicants to complete additional education and demonstrate competency as determined by the Dental Quality Assurance Commission (Commission) in order to become licensed.
Senate Bill 6097 (Network Leasing)
This bill would reduce unexpected bills and expenses for patients by allowing dentists to review insurance contracts and determine which are best for their practice and their patients. The bill would bring Washington into alignment with 28 other states, including Oregon.
Senate Bill 6218 (Patient Benefits)
Washington requires insurance providers to report what percentage of their premium collections are paid out in the form of patient benefits, but this requirement is insufficient to ensure that patient premium dollars are spent on patient care. SB 6218 would require that any company offering dental insurance benefit plans in Washington pay out a minimum of 83% of the premiums they collect in the form of patient benefits. It would also require that any company offering dental insurance benefit plans in Washington to report what percentage of the premiums they collect in this state are paid out in the form of patient benefits in the state.
Senate Bill 6307 (Dental Insurance)
Dental insurance companies are increasingly inserting themselves into the doctor-patient relationship. In doing so, they are limiting patient choice and harming patient care. To address this, SB 6307 would require parity in dental insurance company reimbursements whether procedures are performed by in-network or out-of-network dentists.
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This editorial originally appeared in Issue 1, 2024 of the WSDA News. The views expressed in all WSDA publications are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions or policies of the WSDA.