Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act Becomes Law
The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2020 was signed into law Wednesday, January 13, 2021 after the culmination of a multi-year effort by several organizations, including the American Dental Association (ADA), to persuade Congress that health care insurance, including dental plans, should no longer be protected from some of the federal antitrust laws.
The new law makes the conduct of health insurers subject to more of the nation’s antitrust laws, like all other U.S. businesses, and helps remove additional obstacles to investigation and enforcement.
Since health insurers will now be subject to the same enforcement as other businesses, the ADA believes that both the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice will be more likely to investigate alleged anticompetitive practices and activities of health care insurers.
The ADA has developed an FAQ for ADA dentists with questions about how this law will affect dentists and dental practices. Download the
one-page summary and the
ADA FAQ.
Learn MoreNew Kansas E-Prescribing Law Will Take Affect July 1, 2021
Many Dentists Will Not Be Affected
The KDA has received calls from a few dentists this week who have heard from their dental tech company (or perhaps others) about a new Kansas law beginning July 1, 2021 requiring electronic prescribing.
There is, indeed, a new state law regarding e-prescribing; however, it only affects prescribers who issue over 50 prescription orders per year of “controlled substances that contain opiates”.
Specifically, the new Kansas law states “Every prescription order issued for a controlled substance in schedules II-V that contains an opiate….shall be transmitted electronically.”
There are a number of exceptions to this law including the “50 prescription threshold” stated above.
The Kansas Board of Pharmacy has notified the KDA that they will be publishing guidance about the new law in January 2021.
To complicate matters, a new federal law will begin January 1, 2021 requiring all prescribers issuing orders for controlled substances under Medicare Part D to file prescriptions electronically.
The KDA will keep members updated on both laws as new information becomes available.