Pennsylvania lawmakers want dental insurers to stand behind their benefit quotes - and pay up when they get them wrong.
House Bill 2722, introduced July 30, 2026, would add a dental insurance transparency section to Title 40, the state's insurance statutes. It was referred to the House Committee on Insurance on July 31, 2026.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Kristine Howard, Rep. Jacklyn Rusnock, Rep. Ben Sanchez, Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, Rep. Emily Kinkead, Rep. Tarik Khan and Rep. Eddie Pashinski.
It would apply broadly, defining a "dental insurer" as any entity "offering, administering or underwriting dental insurance benefits" in Pennsylvania.
At the heart of the proposal is a rule that would bind insurers to what they tell providers and patients. Any statement a dental insurer or its representative makes about a benefit - "either verbally, electronically or in writing" - "shall be binding upon the insurer for purposes of claim adjudication and patient benefit determination." Any dollar amount conveyed "shall be construed to be the binding amount." The only exceptions are fraud, "material misrepresentation by the provider or patient," or eligibility ending after the information was given.
That flips a familiar friction point. Today a benefits quote can turn out wrong at claim time. The bill would make the quote stick.
Insurers would also have to run a secure online portal open to every licensed dental provider and authorized staff. It would carry benefit and claims information for covered patients, updated at least once every 24 hours, and cover at least three years of history - procedures billed, dates of service, benefits payments, denials, frequency of utilization, and remaining limits and eligibility data. Providers would get it "without additional contact with the dental insurer or a representative."
The bill would require insurers to keep recordings or transcripts of benefit verification calls for at least three years and share copies on request. It would also require access through standardized programming interfaces, while allowing "reasonable cybersecurity and authentication safeguards."
The state insurance department would enforce the rules. Penalties include reimbursing provider fees, corrective action plans, and "[a]dministrative fines not exceeding $10,000." An insurer that fails to comply would have to pay the provider's own "specific office fee" - the provider's set price - rather than the agreed fee schedule, within 30 business days. Miss that window, and the provider could sue to recover the fee plus attorney fees and court costs.
If enacted, the act would take effect one year later.
