The collaboration resulted in several “consensus recommendations” that WSDA supports. Among these outcomes, the two most significant were:

• The Office of the Insurance Commissioner agreed to conduct an analysis of data from Washington’s All Payer Claims Database (APCD) to show what commercial dental carriers pay to dental offices, both in-network and out-of-network, for 50 common dental codes. This report, which will include three years of data (2023-25), will be published prior to the 2027 legislative session.
• Participants of the collaborative process recommended that the state’s dental loss ratio reporting requirements be enhanced to provide more transparency on how premium dollars are spent by dental carriers, including, but not limited to, product type, plan design, and market segment. This recommendation will require action by the Legislature to become enacted.

The data that will be collected under these recommendations is critically important to our cause. We believe this information will provide a single set of agreed-upon and irrefutable facts that clearly demonstrate how the current dental benefits marketplace is broken. This will make it harder for opponents of common-sense reforms to argue that the system is working, and the status quo should be maintained.

The conclusion of this mediation marks another important step forward in WSDA’s multi-year campaign for dental benefits reform. We will continue our fight on behalf of patients and dentists backed by improved data, strengthened partnerships with important allies, and deepened understanding of the positions of all the participating stakeholders.

Stay tuned for updates on this important advocacy and how you can get involved. To start, make sure you are signed up to receive WSDA’s advocacy alert text messages on dental benefits and more — text the word WSDA to the number 52886 to sign up.

Email WSDA at info@wsda.org if you have any questions, and thank you for your support.

Dr. Lisa Egbert
WSDA President

Bracken Killpack
WSDA Executive Director