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Conference on Prepayment Dentistry
CONFERENCE ON PREPAYMENT DENTISTRY John L . Bom ba*, D .D .S ., Philadelphia
O f major interest to the dental profession has been the recent development of mechanisms whereby the public— our patients— can prepay all or part of dental care costs and thus reduce the financial discomfort that often results from unexpected obligations. Prepayment has precipitated extensive discussion, both objective and emotional, of the relative merits of the mechanisms devised: the commercially underwritten insurance policy, the nonprofit dental service corporation plan and the contract, or closed panel, practice facility. This focusing of professional attention has contributed greatly to the ability of the insurance company to construct plans that have a fair opportunity of serving well the mutual interests of public, profession and underwriter. Occasionally, however, inade quate understanding of, or misinformation on, the modus operandi of these mech anisms, of their effect on the character of dental practice and of the social forces that have contributed to their evolution has created controversy within the profession. This, in turn, has confused, and sometimes alienated, the parties concerned. In recognition of the significance of dental insurance, the Council on Dental Health of the Philadelphia County Dental Society set up a working conference on prepayment during the Greater Philadelphia Annual Meeting last M arch. The essential aim of the council in developing the conference program was to offer a panel of unbiased authorities who could discuss the issues from objective viewpoints. T h e council chose a panel of three outstanding economists from the faculty of the renowned Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania: Herbert S. Denenberg, Robert D . Eilers and Joseph J. Melone. After initial presentations by acknowledged advocates of the three established systems, the panel members presented their personal analyses of the comparative merits and disadvantages of each system. The analyses clearly indicate the extensive research and contemplation involved in their preparation. Each constitutes an informative approach to the subject; each is of such value as to merit the greatest possible circu lation within the profession. Th e members of the Philadelphia County Dental Society and, particularly, of its Council on Dental Health, believe that the following three articles will contribute significantly to the body of needed information on prepayment in dentistry. * C h a irm a n , sub co m m ittee on w ork con ferences. C o u n cil on Dental H e a lth , P h ila d e lp h ia C o u n ty Dental So cie ty.
O f major interest to the dental profession has been the recent development of mechanisms whereby the public— our patients— can prepay all or part of dental care costs and thus reduce the financial discomfort that often results from unexpected obligations. Prepayment has precipitated extensive discussion, both objective and emotional, of the relative merits of the mechanisms devised: the commercially underwritten insurance policy, the nonprofit dental service corporation plan and the contract, or closed panel, practice facility. This focusing of professional attention has contributed greatly to the ability of the insurance company to construct plans that have a fair opportunity of serving well the mutual interests of public, profession and underwriter. Occasionally, however, inade quate understanding of, or misinformation on, the modus operandi of these mech anisms, of their effect on the character of dental practice and of the social forces that have contributed to their evolution has created controversy within the profession. This, in turn, has confused, and sometimes alienated, the parties concerned. In recognition of the significance of dental insurance, the Council on Dental Health of the Philadelphia County Dental Society set up a working conference on prepayment during the Greater Philadelphia Annual Meeting last M arch. The essential aim of the council in developing the conference program was to offer a panel of unbiased authorities who could discuss the issues from objective viewpoints. T h e council chose a panel of three outstanding economists from the faculty of the renowned Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania: Herbert S. Denenberg, Robert D . Eilers and Joseph J. Melone. After initial presentations by acknowledged advocates of the three established systems, the panel members presented their personal analyses of the comparative merits and disadvantages of each system. The analyses clearly indicate the extensive research and contemplation involved in their preparation. Each constitutes an informative approach to the subject; each is of such value as to merit the greatest possible circu lation within the profession. Th e members of the Philadelphia County Dental Society and, particularly, of its Council on Dental Health, believe that the following three articles will contribute significantly to the body of needed information on prepayment in dentistry. * C h a irm a n , sub co m m ittee on w ork con ferences. C o u n cil on Dental H e a lth , P h ila d e lp h ia C o u n ty Dental So cie ty.