b'STRATEGY TODAYGood newsAlthough it might have been overshadowed by numerous other headlines coming out of Washington, D.C. at the time, the signing of for dentalthe Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act on January 13, 2021 was very big news patients andfor American dentists and their patients. Passed by the House of Representatives on September 21, 2020 and then unanimously byproviders Dr. Michael Breaultthe Senate two months later, this act reformed the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945 to ensure that health insurance companies are subject After 75 years, importantto the same federal antitrust laws to which nearly all other U.S. insurance reform comes industries are subject.to dentistry The most obvious intended benefit from the bill will be lower insurance rates due to the expected increase in competition among dental insurers. Two other important anticipated benefits are increases in both the number of dental procedures covered by insurance and the amount of reimbursement provided for several procedures which are already covered.AAP Periospectives| 8102378_AAOP.indd 8 3/18/21 2:36 PM'