Dental Insurance Plans Can No Longer Set Fees For Services They Don’t Cover

A bill called “SB 190” has recently been signed into law by Colorado governor, John Hickenlooper. This bill prevents dental insurance companies from setting fees for dental services that aren’t covered through their plans.

This is good new for dentists who have been concerned about this issue for many years. Their patients have been confused by these fees when attempting to choose the right dental services, and this confusion has caused strain on the relationship between dentist and patient. Luckily, SB 190 will offer more flexibility for dental care to member dentists and the patients who are treated at their offices.

What Dentists Should Know About SB 190

While SB 190 does prevent dental plans from setting fees for dental services that are not covered by a patient’s dental plan, it will not change any of the fee obligations for services that are covered under their insurance plan. For covered dental services, negotiated fees will still apply.

If you have provided a non-covered dental service to a patient after August 9th, 2017, you will be allowed to bill the patient for the dental service in the amount that is less than or equal to your UCR for uninsured patients. It’s important to make sure your patients consent to the fee, and that you retain documentation of this consent in your files or financial records.

For any further questions about SB 190 and what it means for your dental practice, please don’t hesitate to contact Dental Bookkeeping today. Please keep us in mind for any of your dental bookkeeping needs!

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