WVDA Opposes House Bill 2785
On Tuesday, the WV Legislature’s House Finance Subcommittee on Banking and Insurance held a hearing on House Bill 2785 — the NCOIL model for Dental Loss Ratios, which is supported by dental insurance companies, not the WVDA.
WVDA Executive Director Hallie Mason testified against the bill. Below are key excerpts from her remarks, made in front of legislators and a room full of insurance lobbyists:
“The WVDA believes dental patients deserve the same straightforward loss ratio percentage (as medical insurance and WV Medicaid) when trying to understand the value of their private dental insurance.”
“(These calculations) are unnecessarily complicated.”
“The WVDA opposes the calculations in HB 2785 because private dental insurance is a consumer product, and consumers deserve to know the value of their product.”
“House Bill 2785 uses mathematical smoke and mirrors to let some insurers hide the substantial administrative profit they have been making on these plans, to the detriment of the consumer.”
What Happens Next
If the bill continues to advance, the WVDA will alert members to take action and voice their opposition.
Talking Points AGAINST HB 2785
- The bill lacks transparency and simplicity.
- Rather than using a simple loss ratio percentage, it inserts complex formulas into code based on standard deviations from mathematical averages.
- This is confusing to employers, patients, and dentists.
- Standard deviation calculations do not belong in state law designed to be readable by consumers.
- West Virginians deserve to clearly understand the value of their insurance. House Bill 2785 fails to provide that clarity.
