The WVDA’s HB 4810 – Dental Insurance Transparency sought to set a floor of 85% for dental loss ratios, as well as virtual credit card and network leasing regulations.
Although the bill did not pass this session, significant progress was made in advancing the conversation. For the first time, the bill received a public hearing in the House Health Committee. During that hearing, the Office of the WV Insurance Commissioner (OIC) indicated our state’s private insurer dental loss ratios (DLRs) are too low and the OIC would work with the insurers to improve those ratios.
Work by the WVDA in 2025, both during the legislative session and behind the scenes, led to the OIC publishing DLRs on their website for the first time. The public exposure of these DLRs was one of the points contained in HB 4810. The WVDA is pleased these DLRs are now available publicly, and it didn’t take a law to make it happen. Frustratingly, these numbers were released during the legislative session, which did not provide much time to educate lawmakers on what they mean and why they are important.
All of these actions have set a favorable stage for further action in the future. PLEASE take time to learn more about DLRs in future WVDA publications so we can educate dentists, staff, and patients to grow our grassroots effort to improve dental insurance in West Virginia.
