Aug 11, 2025
Register for dental editors’ conference in San Diego
Dental communicators will converge in San Diego for the American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists Annual Conference.
Aug 11, 2025
Dental communicators will converge in San Diego for the American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists Annual Conference.
Aug 8, 2025
The ADA is seeking volunteers for its workforce ambassador program to help address workforce shortages.
Aug 7, 2025
A dentist will pay more than $500,000 to the state of Oklahoma after he allegedly submitted false claims to the state’s Medicaid program.
Aug 7, 2025
The ADA is carrying out more than $20 million in expense reductions, as indicated by the 2025 budget.
Aug 4, 2025
Dentists can use parent-obtained smartphone photos to accurately assess visible caries in children, according to a study published in JADA.
Aug 1, 2025
ADA News is providing a roundup of happenings in government you may have missed this week.
Aug 1, 2025
ADA News is providing a roundup of happenings in government you may have missed this week.
Jul 31, 2025
The fourth episode of Ambush Science looks at a major update to the Human Oral Microbiome Database.
Jul 31, 2025
The ADA expressed support for a bill that seeks to strengthen the scientific basis behind federal water fluoridation regulations.
Jul 30, 2025
The ADA is outlining the budget reconciliation bill’s impacts on dentists through tax policy, student loans and state Medicaid provisions.
Jul 28, 2025
Five new documents are available for review and comment from the ADA Standards Program by Aug. 31.
Jul 25, 2025
The ADA is making it easier than ever to access and adopt its informatics standards.
Jul 25, 2025
Five new documents are available for review and comment from the ADA Standards Program by Aug. 31.
Jul 25, 2025
ADA News is providing a roundup of happenings in government you may have missed this week.
Jul 25, 2025
SmileCon 2025 will equip dentists and their teams with skills and strategies to thrive in an evolving industry.
Jul 25, 2025
The ADA filed an amicus brief in support of the EPA’s appeal of a court order directing it to further regulate community water fluoridation.
Jul 25, 2025
JADA’s impact factor has risen from 3.1 to 3.5. Impact factors are based on the number of times a journal’s articles are cited.
Jul 24, 2025
The FDA held a meeting to gather input on the clinical use and safety concerns associated with fluoride supplements.
Jul 24, 2025
ADA Member Advantage announced that BaseKamp Design is the newest addition to the endorsement program
Jul 23, 2025
The ADA urged the DEA to revise a rule requiring separate registrations for each location a practitioner prescribes controlled substances.
Advocacy work at the state legislature has a direct impact on your dental practice every day, and this legislative session was no exception. In a very busy session, the Illinois State Dental Society (ISDS) advanced priority legislation, blocked harmful proposals, and protected the profession and patients as thousands of bills and fast-paced negotiations took place. While you focus on patient care, ISDS is working diligently in the legislature to ensure that lawmakers understand the real-world challenges faced by dentists and their patients.
In 2025, ISDS advanced three major initiatives that strengthen the dental profession:
With more than 6,600 bills filed and approximately 430 passed, ISDS tracked over 175 of those bills that had the potential to impact dentistry. Thanks to strong advocacy, we also halted efforts to license dental therapists and denturists, as well as the expansion of public health dental hygienists’ practice locations.
Keep reading below for more information about what passed, what didn’t, and what it means for the future of our profession.
Want to stay informed? Text “toothparty” to 888-527-3108 for ISDS legislative updates straight to your phone.
2025 ISDS Legislative Agenda Focuses on Modernization and Access
ISDS prioritized modernization of dental laws, insurance fairness, and access to care as part of a focused 2025 agenda that delivered legislative wins that will benefit dentists and patients across Illinois.
Dental Practice Act Modernized and Reauthorized Through 2030
ISDS secured long-term stability and meaningful updates to the Dental Practice Act, ensuring Illinois dentists can continue to practice under modern, profession-forward standards.
In 2025, the Dental Practice Act needed to be reauthorized by the legislature. This was a major initiative and priority for ISDS. Like all practice acts, the Dental Practice Act expires every 10 years. To ensure it remains in effect, legislative action was necessary.
ISDS successfully passed legislation to reauthorize and modernize the Dental Practice Act. Key changes include:
Additionally, legislation was passed to reauthorize the Illinois Dental Practice Act for another 5 years.
Both bills passed the House and the Senate and now await the Governor’s signature. Once both bills are signed by the Governor, they would both take effect immediately.
ISDS Leads Assignment of Benefits Reform
ISDS closed a loophole in state law by ensuring patients can direct insurers to pay dental providers directly, helping streamline billing and reduce upfront costs.
This year, ISDS introduced and passed legislation requiring dental insurers to honor assignments of benefits (AOB), something already required of health insurers under Illinois law. Without this requirement, dentists often have to collect full payment from patients or wait for reimbursement.
The new law allows patients to request that insurers pay their providers directly, reducing both administrative burden and out-of-pocket surprises.
SB 1392 (Cervantes/Ryan): The legislation has passed both the House and the Senate and now awaits the Governor’s signature. Once this legislation is signed by the Governor, it would take effect January 1, 2026.
Bringing Clarity and Flexibility to Electronic Claims
ISDS-backed legislation enhances transparency in insurance coverage and gives providers more flexibility in meeting electronic claims submission requirements.
Previous law mandated that all dentists submit insurance claims electronically beginning January 1, 2026. However, the law did not outline any criteria.
In response, ISDS pursued and passed legislation to modernize electronic claims submission. Most importantly, the new law requires insurers to provide clear and detailed information about patient benefits and eligibility. Dentists will receive 22 specific data points to help them better understand patient coverage.
The data will include critical information such as:
To support stronger implementation and provide clearer guidance for all parties, the legislation now includes the following:
HB 1864 (Rita/Cervantes): This legislation has passed both the House and the Senate and now awaits the Governor’s signature. Once this legislation is signed by the Governor, it would take effect January 1, 2027.
ISDS Pushes for Enforcement of Virtual Credit Cards
Despite a 2023 legislative win, ISDS continues to advocate for stronger enforcement to stop insurers from charging dentists fees to receive payments.
ISDS passed legislation in 2023 to prohibit insurance companies from requiring dentists to pay fees, often hidden, in order to receive reimbursements via virtual credit cards. The law, which took effect on January 1, 2024, required insurers to pay the full contracted amount directly to the provider.
However, since the implementation, dentists have continued to report problems. ISDS remains actively engaged with the Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) to push for proper enforcement and to clarify how the federal ERISA exemption may or may not impact the law's reach.
HB 3476 (Gong-Gershowitz): Referred to House Rules Committee.
Advocacy Continues for Medicaid Dental Rate Increases for Children
ISDS pushed for increased Medicaid rates to improve access for children, laying groundwork for future reform despite funding obstacles.
The Illinois Medicaid program ranks 49th in the country for how much the State Medicaid program reimburses dentists for dental services for children. This year, ISDS pursued legislation to increase these reimbursement rates to improve access to care for low-income families, reduce preventable emergency treatments, and address oral health disparities.
Unfortunately, significant limitations in the state budget, and uncertainty over federal Medicaid changes, prevented funding from moving forward this year.
Despite this, ISDS continues to work with legislators and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) to address many of the administrative issues providers face with the Medicaid program.
HB 2554/ SB 1580 (Mason/Villa)-33% increase: Re-referred to House Rules Committee.
HB 2554/ SB 1581 (Mason/Villa)-50% increase: Re-referred to House Rules Committee.
2025 Other Legislative Issues: ISDS Blocks Harmful Proposals
ISDS successfully defeated multiple proposals that could have compromised patient safety and added new burdens for providers.
While not all bills directly aligned with ISDS’s legislative agenda, several posed significant risks to the profession and public health. In 2025, ISDS actively tracked and engaged on a range of proposals and ultimately stopped several from advancing.
Below are key highlights of the issues ISDS helped block this session:
ISDS Stops Denturist Licensure Legislation from Advancing
ISDS successfully blocked a proposal that would have allowed for the licensure of denturists and for them to treat patients without any involvement from a licensed dentist.
Legislation filed by the Illinois Denturists’ Association sought to license denturists to fit and provide dentures to patients without an examination from a licensed dentist. ISDS strongly opposed the legislation and met with lawmakers to express our concerns. Due to strong opposition from ISDS, the bill did not advance during the legislative session.
HB 1739 (Briel): The bill has been re-referred to the House Rules Committee.
Second Attempt to License Dental Therapists Fails
ISDS stopped legislation that would have licensed dental therapists. For the second consecutive year, legislation was introduced that would have allowed dental therapists to provide dental services, including extractions, without an examination of a dentist.
ISDS strongly opposed the legislation and worked closely with lawmakers to raise serious concerns about its impact on patient safety and quality of care. The bill ultimately failed to advance.
HB 3418 (Jimenez): The bill has been re-referred to the House Rules Committee.
ISDS Halts Expansion of Public Health Hygienist Practice Locations
ISDS successfully blocked efforts to expand public health dental hygienist practice settings beyond public health sites.
The Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Association (IDHA) introduced legislation to expand the locations of where a Public Health Dental Hygienist (PHDH) can provide services. Under the current law, PHDHs can only provide services in certain public health settings, which include Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), school-based programs, prisons, and long-term care facilities. The proposed legislation would allow PHDHs to provide services in any setting, except for private dental offices.
ISDS opposed the legislation citing concerns over patient safety and lack of oversight. Thanks to strong member advocacy, the bill did not move forward during this legislative session. Your voices were heard.
SB 1982 (Edly-Allen): The bill has been re-referred to the Senate Committee on Assignments.
ISDS and AAO Stop Bill Eliminating In-Person Exam Requirement in Mobile Units
ISDS and the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) successfully opposed legislation that would have removed in-person exam requirements for mobile teledentistry services.
Legislation was filed this legislative session to remove the in-person examination requirement of teledentistry services delivered in a mobile van or mobile clinic. The proposal would have applied to diagnostic, preventive, and periodontal services.
ISDS and AAO raised concerns about this legislation. Due to those concerns, the bill did not advance this session.
SB 2056 (Hastings): The bill has been re-referred to the Senate Committee on Assignments.
ISDS Opposes Advance Billing Ban; Bill Referred Back to Committee
ISDS successfully opposed a bill that would have prohibited collecting payment at the time of service.
The legislation would have prohibited all health care providers, including dentists, from requiring patients to pay at the time of service.
ISDS, along with other health care organizations, opposed this bill. ISDS met with the sponsoring legislator to express our concerns. Due to this opposition, the bill did not move forward this session.
HB 1229 (Harper): This bill has been re-referred to the House Rules Committee.
ISDS Leads During Negotiations on Anesthesia Review Panel Representation
ISDS led successful negotiations to improve representation and fairness on the State Board of Dentistry’s anesthesia panel. In the 2024 legislative session, legislation was passed that addressed issues with moderate sedation permits. This legislation was a very long and complex process, requiring significant negotiation between the Illinois Society of Pediatric Dentists (ISPD), ISDS, and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
In 2025, ISPD introduced legislation that would statutorily require an anesthesia review panel. While this panel already exists in rule, it is currently not utilized by IDFPR. However, the legislation did more than just reinstate the anesthesia review panel, it also added certain eligibility requirements for serving on it. It called for three representatives each from Permit A and Permit B holders.
Under the proposed ISPD legislation:
ISDS convened a panel of experts to review the proposal and raised concerns about the composition and limitations of the review panel. Continued discussions took place among IDFPR, ISDS, and ISPD.
ISDS proposed an amendment that accomplished the following:
All stakeholders accepted the ISDS amendment, and ISDS supported the bill following its adoption.
As the bill continued to move forward, ISPD filed an amendment to make further changes to the anesthesia law. ISDS had strong concerns about the amendment, as the proposal would have changed several items that were agreed to in 2024. That amendment did not move forward.
Ultimately, the legislation that passed both chambers accomplishes the following:
SB 1325 (Morrison/Mah): The legislation has passed both the House and the Senate and now awaits the Governor’s signature. Once this legislation is signed by the Governor, it would take effect January 1, 2026.