Let’s Shine with LB639
Nebraska’s More for Your Smile legislation protects patients by increasing transparency and accountability for dental plan carriers while ensuring patient premiums go to patient care.
Did you know dental insurers in Nebraska can use up to 40% of your premium dollars for bonuses and profits instead of patient care? This means only a fraction of your premium supports dental care, leaving many Nebraskans without affordable options.
Additionally, according to the National Association of Dental Plans, only 2.8% of people on a PPO plan reach their dental annual maximum each year. This means most patients never get the full value of their premiums which is why LB639 is needed – to ensure dollars are spent on care rather than administrative costs.
Meanwhile, more than 1 in 3 Americans delay or avoid dental care because of cost, making it the most skipped form of healthcare.
Legislative Bill 639 will fix this by requiring insurers to spend at least 85% of premiums on dental benefits and care improvements.
Join us in telling senators that Nebraska patients deserve more transparency, value, and access to oral health care.
Better Dental Benefits Urgently Needed
In 2023, 13% of the population reported cost barriers to dental care, compared to just 4-5% for other health care services, making dental care the most frequently skipped form of healthcare. This statistic highlights the financial strain many Nebraskans face when seeking oral health services. Dentists care about their patients and oppose any practice—like padding insurers’ bottom line—that limits patients’ access to the care they need.
As much as forty percent (40%) of patient premium dollars go to executive compensation, corporate profits, bonuses, and administrative expenses instead of being directed toward patient care, according to the American Dental Association.
A Dental Loss Ratio can reduce out-of-pocket costs, improve affordability, and ensure timely access to care for more Nebraskans.
What We Believe
Nebraska’s dental plan carriers should prioritize patients, not profits. Here’s how LB639 makes that happen:
More Transparency
Insurers must report how your premium dollars are spent, ensuring you’re informed about where your money goes.
More Accountability
Dental plan carriers should be held responsible for how they spend your money. LB639 requires at least 85% of premiums to be spent on patient care and quality improvements, or else patients get a refund.
More Value for Patients
LB639 guarantees that your hard-earned money directly benefits your oral health, not corporate profits.
Want to Make a Difference?
Get in Touch
Sign our More for Your Smile petition, then contact the senators on the Banking and Insurance Committee today and tell them to advance LB639 to General File.
Tell the senators on the Banking and Insurance Committee: Nebraskans deserve better dental care. Support LB639 to deliver transparency, accountability, and value for working families across the state.
Tell your senator: Nebraskans deserve better dental care. Support LB639 to deliver transparency, accountability, and value for working families across the state.
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Tell Senators
Let Nebraska Shine: Support LB639 Today
When you speak to your senator, tell them:
- Dental insurance shouldn’t be this confusing—or this unfair. Dental executives rake in massive profits, while patients struggle to access necessary care.
- Where’s our money really going? Up to 40% of premium dollars go to executive bonuses, profits, and admin costs—not patient care.
- Patients shouldn’t have to choose between their health and a paycheck. No one should delay dental treatment because insurers prioritize profits over people.
- Let’s make dental insurance work for Nebraska families. LB639 ensures transparency, accountability, and better value for every patient’s hard-earned dollar.
- LB639 is the Solution. It requires 85% of premium dollars are used for dental care and quality improvements, not executive salaries or bonuses. It provides transparency through annual reporting. If insurers fail to meet the 85% standard, they’re required to refund the difference.
Please tell your elected officials to pass the Nebraska Dental Association’s More for Your Smile legislation.
How LB639 Works
LB639 ensures dental insurance in Nebraska prioritizes patients over profits by implementing clear and enforceable standards. Beginning January 1, 2026, dental insurers would be required to spend at least 85% of premium dollars on patient care and quality improvements, ensuring that more of your money goes directly toward necessary dental treatments and preventive care. To ensure compliance, starting January 1, 2027, dental insurers would be required to submit annual reports to the Nebraska Department of Insurance detailing how premium dollars were spent. These reports will provide transparency and hold insurers accountable to the new standards.
If an insurer fails to meet the 85% requirement, they will be required to refund the excess premiums back to policyholders, ensuring fairness and protecting Nebraskans from overpaying for underperforming insurance plans. The Nebraska Department of Insurance will oversee this process, creating and enforcing regulations to ensure compliance. LB639 does not apply to dental services covered under government programs like Medicaid, focusing instead on private dental insurance plans.
By holding dental insurers accountable, LB639 guarantees greater transparency, more value, and better access to dental care for Nebraskans. It’s a vital step toward ensuring fairness in the dental insurance industry and improving oral health outcomes for families across the state.
About the
Nebraska Dental
Association
Established in 1868, the Nebraska Dental Association represents over 70% of the dentists in Nebraska and is a unified organization committed to encourage improvement of the health of the public, promote the art and science of dentistry and represent the interests of its members and the public whom it serves.
The Nebraska Dental Association proudly supports LB639 because every Nebraskan deserves access to affordable, high-quality dental care.