Trumball News

The Ohio House, with the support of State Representative Nick Santucci (R-Howland Twp.), has passed Senate legislation aimed at ending the practice of artificial capping of fees by insurance companies in the dental industry.

Santucci introduced a companion version of this legislation to address unethical dental insurance practices in the House. "I’m pleased to see this legislation get approval from both chambers," Santucci stated. "This is important legislation that will protect dental care providers who do important work for Ohioans without being burdened by arbitrary fee structures."

The legislation will permit dentists to negotiate their fees for services directly with patients if the service is not covered by the patient’s insurer. Dentists must provide an estimated cost of each dental service before performing any work.

Additionally, this legislation will integrate Ohio into the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, facilitating interstate practice of dentistry and dental hygiene and improving access to these services. Once Ohio joins the compact, licensed dentists and dental hygienists in Ohio will be allowed to practice within other states that are part of the compact.

The legislation now heads to the governor’s office for consideration.