The House Committee on Energy and Commerce chair is asking the Government Accountability Office to study the state of consolidation and vertical integration in the dental and vision benefits industries.
The request is the result of ongoing advocacy by the American Dental Association related to dental insurance reform, including the DOC Access Act, which would prohibit dental and vision plans from setting the fees network doctors can charge for services not covered by the insurers.
Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., are asking for the study to evaluate the impacts of consolidation and vertical integration on consumers, including the prices they pay, as well as health care providers, according to the letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro.
Source: House committee leaders request study of dental insurance industry / ADA.org