Supporting the Massachusetts Dental Community Through the COVID Crisis
The COVID-19 crisis has put the oral health community to the test. And we know that dental practices have been hit particularly hard.
Massachusetts is now entering Phase 3 of the pandemic response and many dental practices have begun to reopen their doors to patients over the last month. But this return to a “new normal” brings with it challenges and opportunities.
At Delta Dental, we are committed to helping our network dentists through this crisis now, while building a better oral health system for the future.
During the initial phase of this pandemic when many businesses were forced to temporarily close, our goal was to help practices stay afloat by providing millions in financial support. We did that by contributing $2 million to the Massachusetts Dental Society Foundation’s Recovery Fund and establishing an advance payment program to provide critical aid to current, independent dentists and oral surgeons working in DDMA network practices across the state.
As the pandemic progressed, we knew there was a need for additional support. In June, Delta Dental of Massachusetts launched a second phase of initiatives, including several benefits to recognize practice closures and help patients maintain their oral health.
- • For DDMA’s individual subscribers who signed up directly and through the Massachusetts Health Connector, DDMA will provide a 30% credit on premiums paid for April and May coverage.
- • For employees of DDMA’s clients, who were furloughed or laid-off and lost their dental insurance coverage, DDMA will provide free access to its Delta Dental Patient Direct® card* discount plan from June 1 through the end of the year.
- • For patients who choose to return to the dentist, DDMA will provide each member of a fully insured group plan who completes a preventive cleaning between June 1 and August 31 with a free electronic toothbrush. They don’t need to fill out a form or do anything in order to receive it.
The plan also included additional support for our network dentists.
- • DDMA will provide dental practices with a $10 payment for each in-person patient visit completed between June 1 and August 31, to help reduce new barriers to care resulting from COVID-19. These payments are above and beyond regular reimbursement payments and can be used to cover a variety of operational costs, including personal protective equipment.
- • DDMA has also simplified its benefit plan design for many of our members to be more flexible on the scheduling of preventive services to ensure that patients who may have missed an appointment due to the pandemic can still complete two preventive visits this year. Because this benefit does not apply to all plans, it is important that you check each member’s eligibility before providing care.
And we know we’re not done. There is no playbook for this, no class in dental school that prepares you for a pandemic like this. But Delta Dental is committed to working closely with our provider networks and partners – to listening, learning, and adapting – as we work through this crisis together.
We are constantly looking for additional ways to support dentists. Delta Dental of Massachusetts has also been the only insurer to step up in this way, and we have urged the other insurers to take their own steps to support providers. Because in order to support all dentists, we need all carriers to do their part.
This has been an incredibly difficult time. But it has brought opportunity. We are lucky to have some of the best dentists in the country right here in Massachusetts. And by coming together now, we can weather this crisis and begin the work of making our system stronger and more fair.
* Delta Dental Patient Direct Discount Card is not dental insurance. For those with mandated coverage requirements, the Delta Dental Patient Direct Discount Card does not suffice as Evidence of Coverage or satisfy Essential Benefit requirements. The program provides discounts on dental services from participating dentists in the Delta Dental of Massachusetts network. No payments to members or providers will be made by Delta Dental of Massachusetts. Members are obligated to pay for all dental services provided. The discount card cannot be used in combination with dental insurance.