Patients Rising released the following statement in response to a new report from the Government Accountability Office examining market concentration and vertical integration in private dental and vision insurance markets.
Statement from Terry Wilcox, Co-Founder and Chief Mission Officer of Patients Rising
“Patients deserve a healthcare system that is transparent, competitive, and focused on care — not one shaped by opaque market structures or excessive control by a small number of companies.
The GAO report raises important questions about how vision and dental insurance markets operate and whether growing consolidation may affect patient choice and provider independence.
When a small number of companies control large portions of a market while participating in multiple parts of the system, it is reasonable for policymakers to ask whether the system is working as intended for patients.
Congress should take these findings seriously and continue examining how vision benefit managers operate.
Legislation such as the bipartisan DOC Access Act represents an important step toward improving transparency and ensuring that patients and providers retain meaningful choice in vision and dental care.”
Patients Rising supports policies that promote transparency, competition, and patient-centered decision making across the healthcare system.