Dentists and dental students from across Alabama who are members of the Alabama Dental Association gathered at the Alabama Statehouse on Jan. 28, 2026, to urge legislators to advance SB81 and HB212, patient-focused legislation aimed at fixing a problem families across the state know well: paying for dental insurance that often delays, denies or complicates their dental care. Hosted by the Alabama Dental Association as part of its More for Your Smile campaign, dentists are calling for greater transparency and accountability in dental insurance spending to ensure more premium dollars are used for direct patient care.
The Current Situation: Coverage That Does Not Deliver Care
Alabamians pay monthly premiums for dental insurance with the reasonable expectation that it will cover the care they need. That expectation is not always met. Many patients face delays, denials and coverage limits that restrict treatment, even when care is recommended by their dentist. So little of their monthly premium dollars benefit their direct dental care, and overall, there is a lack of accountability for how the premium dollars are used by insurance plans.
Nationally, up to 40 percent of dental insurance premiums go to the insurance plan itself rather than directly benefiting patients. In Alabama, dental insurers are not currently required to allocate a set portion of premiums to direct patient care. As a result, patients, employers and policymakers have limited visibility into how much of their premium dollars support patient care versus administrative costs.
“Dental insurance reform is a national conversation, not just an Alabama issue. States across the country are advancing legislation to address the barriers patients and dentists face, and Alabama should not be left behind,” said Michele Huebner, executive director of the Alabama Dental Association. “Oral health infrastructure is not just about buildings or equipment. It’s about policy. It’s about families receiving the benefits they pay for, having real access to quality dental care by dentists, and ensuring future dentists can serve in the Alabama communities that need them most.”
What This Means for Patients
“SB81 and HB212 establish a loss ratio for dental insurance, ensuring more premium dollars are directed to patient care,” said Dr. Jennifer Hirsch Doobrow, president of the Alabama Dental Association. “These bills set a clear, commonsense expectation that coverage leads to care. More for Your Smile Alabama is a measured, patient-focused solution that brings transparency, accountability and better benefits to patients. It’s about fairness and trust, and whether dental insurance will finally live up to its name.”
For dentists just starting their careers, the disconnect between expectations and reality is already clear.
“As a new dentist entering the profession, I’m thinking not only about how I’ll care for my patients, but about whether the system I’m stepping into will support that care,” said Heath Padgett, a dental resident. “When insurance barriers stand between patients and treatment, it makes it harder to deliver the care we’re trained to deliver to our patients. A better insurance environment will mean patients can access care sooner, and new dentists like me can confidently build careers in the communities that need us most. SB81 and HB212 are an important step toward creating a system patients can trust and providers can sustain.”
The Workforce Impact: A Growing Crisis
Insurance challenges play a direct role in Alabama’s growing dental workforce shortage, threatening the future of Alabama’s dental workforce and access to quality care, particularly in rural communities.
Alabama has one of the nation’s lowest dentist-to-patient ratios, with many rural communities relying on aging dentists nearing retirement. Today, 24 Alabama counties are at risk of significant loss of dental services in the near future. In 15 counties, between 50 percent and 100 percent of dentists are age 60 or older. In four counties, every practicing dentist is over age 60. Three counties currently have no dentist at all.
“In dental school, we are trained to put patients first, focus on prevention, and treat problems early. But too often, the current insurance environment does the opposite,” said Peyton Billingsley, a fourth-year dental student. “More than half of my classmates are already considering practicing in neighboring states because of rising student debt and uncertainty about dental insurance in Alabama adequately supporting patient care. SB81 and HB212 send a signal that Alabama is serious about keeping its future dental workforce here.”
The Solution: Transparency, Accountability and More Value
SB81 and HB212 establish clear standards for dental insurance spending in Alabama. The legislation requires that at least 75 percent of premiums from stand-alone individual dental plans and 83 percent from stand-alone group plans be spent on direct patient care. The reform requires reporting and active review of the dental loss ratio to the Alabama Department of Insurance and includes refunds to patients if insurers fail to meet those standards.
A Call to Legislators and Patients
The Alabama Dental Association is urging legislators to support SB81 and HB212 and act now to prioritize patients, strengthen access to quality care and ensure Alabama’s dental workforce can serve communities across the state.
“What we’re hearing from patients across Alabama is clear: they are frustrated with paying for coverage they can’t fully use, and they want a system that works for their families,” said Dr. Leigh Kent, chair of the More for Your Smile campaign. “That frustration is driving action. Nearly 10,000 voter messages have already been sent to lawmakers urging support for SB81 and HB212. These bills are built around transparency, accountability, and value, so dental coverage works the way patients expect it to work. Insurance coverage should open the door to care, not create barriers.”
Alabamians can learn more and contact their legislators by visiting http://www.moreforyoursmileal.com, where they can use a simple online tool to support dental coverage that works.
The mission of the Alabama Dental Association is to encourage the improvement of the health of the public, to promote the art and science of dentistry, and to represent the interests of the members of the dental profession and the public for which it serves.
