Support bill to fix dental insurance

Eastern Iowans who have dental insurance face two problems that need to be fixed by the Iowa House.

The first problem occurs when a patient gets dental care, files a claim and the insurance company pays by sending a check directly to the policyholder. Sometimes that policyholder is the non-custodial parent. It might be a husband who is out of the home, in the middle of a divorce, and he refuses to give the insurance payment to his wife who took their child to the dentist. A simple fix, called “Assignment of Benefits,” means the person getting the care has the right to determine where payment goes in advance.

The second problem: A patient gets treatment that is supposed to be covered, but the insurance company refuses to pay. The only recourse is to take the company to court, an expensive process that is almost always more trouble than it is worth. Patients used to have the right to an independent review through the Iowa Insurance Division.

Legislation to restore both of these rights has been passed by the Iowa Senate and is up for consideration by the Iowa House as SF 402. I hope your newspaper and readers will support this bill.

Douglas Horton

Cedar Rapids