Dr. Kenneth Cooperman
July 2024
The preceding New York State legislative session, having ended in early June, has been an active one. There have been some bills that directly affect dentists and dentistry in New York State that have been passed by both houses in and are currently awaiting signature by the governor. Two of the most significant are:
(1) Non-Covered Dental Services. This bill would prohibit insurers from including certain language in their agreements with contracted dentists. This would prevent insurers from requiring contracted dentists to accept lower than their normal and customary fees for non-covered procedures.
(2) Fluoride Varnish Administration by Dental Assistants and Licensed Practical Nurses. Previously this was not within their scope of duties under NYS law.
A bill that was of great interest to the dental community was the proposed establishment of a medical loss ratio of 82% for dental insurances. If this were successful, it would mean that only 18 percent of monies collected by insurance companies could be spent on administration, brokers fees, and similar non-patient focused expenses. This did not pass either the NYS Assembly or the NYS Senate.
Regarding the broadening of the scope of practice for dental assistants in NYS: This has been a priority for NYSSO, in order to assist with access to care issues and to address the continuing health care labor shortage. In 2023, the New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) convened a sub-committee comprised of various members of their existing committees to facilitate the evaluation of complicated issues like this one. The work of the subcommittee is now done, and the subcommittee members are reporting back to their respective committees to resume work on this issue in the fall.
There are some leadership changes at NYSDA: their Executive Director, Greg Hill, is leaving his post. It is unclear if the coming leadership transition will affect the smooth functioning and efficiency of moving these various legislative priorities forward during the months to come.
Dr. Kenneth Cooperman
Secretary, NYSSO
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