Indiana has joined a growing list of U.S. states moving to block insurance providers from setting fee caps for dental procedures they do not cover.
On December 29, state lawmakers filed Senate Bill 87, which prohibits dental insurers and HMOs from requiring dentists to accept payments on procedures not covered by them.
"An insurer may not, under an agreement under section 3 of this chapter, require a dentist to accept an amount set by the insurer as payment for health care services provided to an insured unless the health care services are covered services under the insured's policy," the bill reads in part.
In 2010, at least a dozen states enacted similar legislation: South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, Oklahoma, Oregon, Mississippi, Nebraska, Kansas, Idaho, Iowa, Alaska, and Arizona. Rhode Island already had such a law in place, and Massachusetts is also considering banning fee capping.
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