MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) is asking the state’s Department of Justice to closely monitor Delta Dental’s purchase of 25 dental offices across Wisconsin, citing potential conflicts of interest that could affect patient care.
The state’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner is currently reviewing the transaction. In a letter obtained by TMJ4 News, the WDA highlighted concerns that “patient treatment options may be driven more by what is cost-effective for the insurer than by what is clinically best for their oral health.”
Wisconsin is one of only a few states that does not require dental practices to be owned by licensed dentists. The WDA notes this is the first time in state history that an insurance company would act as both payer and provider.
Mark Paget, executive director of the Wisconsin Dental Association, is leading the call for DOJ oversight.
“One entity shouldn’t control the entire transaction,” Paget told TMJ4 in July. “We just want to make sure that, when these practices operate under new ownership, patient care is not changed or impeded in any way.”
Delta Dental of Wisconsin responded that each acquired dental practice has an independent leadership team responsible for rate-setting negotiations and decisions about what insurance covers.
The next step will be a hearing by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner to review Delta Dental’s acquisition. A date for the hearing has not yet been set.
The debate has drawn broader attention as residents weigh the impact of corporate ownership on patient care—raising questions about transparency and oversight that mirror ongoing conversations about consumer protection in other sectors, from healthcare to ticketing for major events like the Olympics.
