Fee guide driving dental costs down

Blue Cross says dentists accepting new lower rates

The emergence of the province’s new dental fee guide has prompted Alberta Blue Cross to reduce rates for some companies with group benefit plans, though it’s unclear how many workers will share in the savings.

The not-for-profit organization said in a news release Thursday that certain employer group health plans have now been aligned with the dental fee guide that was announced in November by the Alberta Dental Association and College.

Though the fees listed in the document are recommendations only, the publishing of such a guide for the first time in 20 years was touted to put pressure on dentists to lower their rates.

Indeed, the guide calls for an 8.5 per cent reduction in average prices for 60 common procedures, and Alberta Blue Cross said it’s seeing evidence that some dentists are beginning to accept the rates.

This means the organization is starting to pay out less to cover dental services, and has decided to pass on those savings to employers with group plans.

Alberta Blue Cross says it manages benefit plans for more than 5,700 employers big and small, including the Government of Alberta. As such, it is the largest payer of dental services in Alberta, handing out more than $430 million each year to dental providers.

While companies will see a reduction in costs for dental plans, it’s unknown how many will reduce dental costs for their employees. Some workers could pay less, but others may actually end up paying more — especially those who use higher priced dentists and are part of a benefit plan that’s offering smaller reimbursements.

Alberta Blue Cross said it’s the only benefit provider to announce it’s passing savings on to its clients.

A spokeswoman for the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, which represents a large number of the country ’s insurers, said it couldn’t comment on whether any more of its members had decided to lower plan rates for clients.

“This is an issue of competition in the industry which we do not get involved in,” the spokeswoman said in an email.

The association has previously advocated for dental rates to come down in Alberta, saying the pressure was coming from employers wanting to reduce costs for their group health plans.