ADA Mobilizes Dentists on Federal ERISA Fix as Eight 2026 State Insurance Reforms Take Effect

Posted: May 21, 2026

ADA Mobilizes Dentists on Federal ERISA Fix as Eight 2026 State Insurance Reforms Take Effect

Edited by Dentaltown staff

The American Dental Association issued a Grassroots Alert May 19 urging dentists to ask their members of Congress to cosponsor H.R. 7931, the Improving Dental Administration Act, a bipartisan bill that would exempt state dental benefit laws from ERISA preemption and extend their protections to patients enrolled in self-funded employer dental plans.

H.R. 7931 was introduced March 12 by Reps. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Robin L. Kelly, D-Ill. The bill’s stated purpose is to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to exempt from preemption certain state laws related to dental benefits. The Georgia Dental Association characterized the operative change as a short clarifying sentence specifying that state laws related to dental benefit administration are not preempted by ERISA.

The ADA said state dental associations have secured more than 360 dental insurance reform and patient protection laws over the past decade, including eight enacted so far in 2026 addressing virtual credit card payments, network leasing, and downcoding. The association argued in its Grassroots Alert that insurance carriers cite ERISA preemption to avoid applying those state-level rules to self-funded employer dental plans, which the ADA estimates cover close to half of dental patients in the United States.

State dental insurance reform laws over the past decade have targeted a range of administrative practices including assignment of benefits, virtual credit card payments, noncovered services, prior authorization timelines, network leasing disclosures, and downcoding. Because ERISA generally preempts state insurance laws as applied to self-funded employer plans, those protections currently reach only patients in fully insured dental coverage, leaving a coverage gap that has grown alongside the share of employers choosing self-funded arrangements.

The Improving Dental Administration Act would close that gap without otherwise changing ERISA or substituting federal rules for state ones. According to the ADA, the bill is narrowly drafted to preserve state authority over dental benefit administration while leaving the rest of ERISA’s preemption framework intact.

ADA President Richard J. Rosato and the association’s Council on Government Affairs have positioned the bill alongside the REDI Act, which would defer interest on dental resident loans, and broader federal oral health infrastructure protection efforts as core 2026 advocacy priorities. Independent legal coverage of the bill, including a Codify Legal Publishing analysis published in April, has characterized the measure as narrowly focused on carving out state authority over dental benefits from ERISA’s general preemption rule.

The Grassroots Alert directs members to the ADA’s online action center to identify their House representatives and submit cosponsorship requests. Companion Senate language has not been introduced as of mid-May, and the bill has not yet been scheduled for committee action.

Sources:
ADA News, “ADA Grassroots Alert urges dentists to support ERISA reform,” May 19, 2026: adanews.ada.org/ada-news/2026/may/ada-grassroots-alert-urges-dentists-to-support-erisa-reform
Congress.gov, “H.R. 7931 — IDA Act of 2026,” 119th Congress, introduced March 12, 2026: congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7931
Georgia Dental Association, “Revisiting ADA Lobby Day 2026,” April 1, 2026: gadental.org/news/revisiting-ada-lobby-day-2026
American Dental Association advocacy page, "ERISA Plans": https://www.ada.org/advocacy/advocacy-issues/erisa-plans
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