The past six months have been a whirlwind for dentistry. Clinics closed abruptly in March and slowly rebounded during the early summer. Dental professionals have always prioritized patient health and safety, and that became especially clear throughout the pandemic. As we continue facing COVID and rethink the new normal, here are five key factors that
The number of health plans offering adult dental benefits has more than doubled since 2018, according to a new survey by the firm West Monroe Partners, as health and dental insurers hurtle toward convergence. While in some ways this represents a drastic shift, in others it is in keeping with broad changes in health care:
A new TikTok trend has sprouted where users film themselves shaving down their teeth with nail files in an attempt to save money on dental work. Dentists, and this editor, are extremely displeased. On average, Americans pay anywhere from $15 to $50 per month for dental insurance. Unlike medical insurance, dental insurance cuts off coverage
Nearly half of employers nationwide are strengthening health and wellness benefits so employees can more easily get the care they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.1 Workplace perks like complimentary beverages, food and on-site gyms are great. But with many people still working from home, some of these office benefits may be of less value to
When states began shutting down in March due to concerns over COVID-19, it seemed likely that dental societies’ lobbying agendas would also shut down. Credentialing hurdles. Virtual credit card headaches. Anti-patient waiting periods. Dr. Gehani In a normal year, these are some of the key legislative issues the state societies might be advocating to change.
Dentists report that Medicaid is a complicated and frustrating system; therefore, only a small percentage of dentists are enrolled providers.1 Very few dentists treat more than a small handful of patients with Medicaid per year. For Medicaid patients, a significant gap exists between their dental care needs and availability of care, but through persistent advocacy,
UnitedHealth Group reported $6.6 billion in profit for the second quarter, beating Wall Street projections. That's also a significant increase in profit compared to the second quarter of 2019, where the healthcare giant brought in $3.3 billion, according to its earnings report (PDF) issued Wednesday. UnitedHealth's mid-year profits sit at $10 billion, compared to $6.8 billion in the first half
Of the 87% of executives who see convergence already happening, 89% say it is accelerating—up from 21% who said the same in 2018. While dental payers feel less threatened by health plans, health insurers are much more interested in offering dental benefits now than they were two years ago, according to the report, “Convergence of
If your local dentist's office is busy post-lockdown, we've all got reason to smile! The New York Times recently reported that dental offices serve as a bellwether for our economy: when business is booming, it's typically a sign of economic stability. This would be very welcome news post-lockdown, given that so many Americans have lost
Daniel Roberts kept the broken tooth — or what was left of it. He can joke about the souvenir a month later, but initially found nothing funny about needing a dental procedure in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. “Basically, it was just rotten, and a good chunk of it was cracked,” Roberts says. He
