UPDATE: Aetna and Out-of-Network Providers Payment Announcement

This news story  has been updated

Huge Win for Illinois Dentists: Aetna Reverses Planned Payment Change

Dear ISDS Member, 

We have a major advocacy win to share with Illinois Dentists. 

Aetna has confirmed that it will not move forward with its planned changes to payment reimbursement methods for Illinois dental providers at this time. 

This is the outcome ISDS has been working toward. 

For years, ISDS has fought to protect dentists' ability to choose how they are paid. In 2023, ISDS successfully advocated for legislation addressing virtual credit card payments. This year, we went back to Springfield and passed even stronger protections that will take effect January 1, 2027. 

So when Aetna announced that certain out-of-network providers would no longer receive paper checks and would instead be required to receive payment through virtual credit cards or electronic fund transfers, ISDS was already working on this issue and immediately challenged the new policy. 

We advocated directly with Aetna, raised the issue with the Illinois Department of Insurance and made clear that Illinois dentists should not be forced into payment methods that can create additional fees and administrative burdens. 

Aetna has now changed course.

"This is a significant win for Illinois dentists and a great example of why strong advocacy matters," said Eric Larson, Executive Director of the Illinois State Dental Society. "ISDS has been working for years to protect dentists' ability to choose how they are paid. When Aetna announced this change, we were prepared to act. We pushed back, and we are pleased that Aetna listened and changed course in Illinois."

What This Means for You

If you currently receive reimbursement by paper check, Aetna's decision means you will not be forced to switch to a virtual credit card or electronic funds transfer at this time. 

Aetna has also confirmed that providers who previously received notice of the change will receive a follow-up communication confirming that their current reimbursement selection will remain unchanged. 

This is ISDS Advocacy at Work

An insurance company announced a policy that would have created new burdens for Illinois dentists. ISDS challenged it, and the policy will not move forward in Illinois at this time. 

Thank you to the ISDS members who continued to share their experiences and concerns with us. Your input strengthens our advocacy and helps us fight for dentists across Illinois. 

You told us what mattered. We were already fighting for it. And when Aetna announced this change, ISDS was ready to act. That is the power of organized dentistry in Illinois. 

Sincerely, 

Illinois State Dental Society 

The following was originally published on August 25, 2026

Illinois Law

Illinois currently has a virtual credit card law that prohibits insurers from incurring a fee to receive a payment. Under the current law, dentists must be provided with an alternative payment option. This past legislative session, ISDS passed a law that strengthens this current law and is explicit that the insurer cannot require a dentist to only accept a credit card or electronic funds transfer for payment of services. This new law will go into effect January 1, 2027.

ISDS Action

ISDS has been advocating to maintain the dentists’ ability to choose their payment method of choice. In 2023, ISDS passed legislation to address the issue of virtual credit cards. In 2026, ISDS advocated for and passed legislation to strengthen the virtual credit card law to explicitly prohibit insurers from requiring dentists to have to accept virtual credit cards or electronic funds transfer for payment. The new law will also allow the dentist to “opt-in” to their choice of payment instead of having to “opt-out” of virtual credit card payments.

With the current law and the new law coming into effect very soon, ISDS has requested Aetna to reverse their policy decision. ISDS is in discussions with the Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) regarding the new Aetna policy and how the current law and forthcoming law prohibits Aetna’s new policy. Our discussions and advocacy efforts are ongoing.

Options for Dentists

As we continue our efforts, you, the dentist, have the option to engage the patient in the payment process by the following:

• Out-of-network dentists can have patients pay at the time of service, still submit the claim for the patient, and have Aetna reimburse the patient directly.

  If patients complain about this new process, we have established talking points for you to use to explain the changes that Aetna has made to create this situation.

ISDS Aetna Talking Points -Dentist to Patient

• Aetna has changed the way they have reimbursed dental offices that are not in their network.
• Aetna has announced since we are out-of-network they will no longer issue paper checks to our office.
• Aetna’s new policy essentially requires us to pay a fee to be paid for the services we provide.
• Due to Aetna’s change in policy, we will require payment upfront at our office.
• Following payment at our office, you can seek reimbursement directly from Aetna by submitting an insurance claim to them directly.
• If you would like, we can still submit the insurance claim to Aetna for you, but you will have to seek your own reimbursement from them.
• We value you as a patient but unfortunately this is out of our control.
• We understand your frustration with this process so I would encourage you to contact Aetna directly and talk to your employer’s HR team and let them know of your frustrations.