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SB 335MONTANASession 2025State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Montana establishes dental insurance transparency, reporting requirements, and premium rebates

Original title: Generally revise laws related to dental insurance

Last action · May 16, 2025: Chapter Number AssignedSponsor: Greg Hertz

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Does

Montana enacts the Dental Insurance Transparency and Accountability Act, requiring dental insurers to report annual medical s, submit plan data to the commissioner of securities and insurance, and potentially issue premium rebates or face minimum loss ratio rules if they fall significantly below average.

Why it matters

Residents purchasing individual or group dental insurance gain public access to searchable insurer financial data, and policyholders enrolled in plans may receive premium rebates or reductions starting with policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Montana residents

Montana residents with dental insurance gain public access to searchable insurer financial data and may receive premium rebates or reductions if their insurer's loss ratio is an outlier.

Directly affected

Dental insurers

Dental insurers must file annual loss ratio reports, submit required plan data, face regulatory investigation if classified as outliers, and potentially issue premium rebates or comply with minimum loss ratios.

Directly affected

Commissioner of securities and insurance

The commissioner must collect annual reports, publish searchable loss ratio data on a public website, report outlier data to the legislature, and adopt implementing rules.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the new dental insurance law take effect?
The act is effective June 1, 2025, and applies to dental insurance policies, plans, contracts, and certificates issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026.
What information must dental insurers report annually?
Dental insurers must file a medical report by March 1 of each year including the number of enrollees, plan cost-sharing, deductible amounts, annual maximum coverage limits, and the number of enrollees meeting or exceeding the annual coverage limit.
What happens if a dental insurer has an unusually low loss ratio?
The commissioner may investigate dental insurers with a lower than 1 standard deviation from the average and order them to rebate premiums paid above the threshold, or impose a minimum loss ratio if they remain s for two consecutive years.
Are Medicaid and Healthy Montana Kids plans covered by this act?
No, the act does not apply to dental care services covered under Medicaid or the healthy Montana kids plan.

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

45 actions
  1. May 16, 2025Senate
    Chapter Number Assigned
  2. May 13, 2025SenateEnrolled
    (S) Signed by Governor
  3. May 5, 2025Senate
    (S) Transmitted to Governor
  4. May 5, 2025House
    (H) Signed by Speaker
  5. Apr 29, 2025Senate
    (S) Signed by President
  6. Apr 24, 2025Senate
    (S) Returned from Enrolling
Show 39 earlier actions
  1. Apr 22, 2025Senate
    (S) Sent to Enrolling
  2. Apr 18, 2025Senate
    (S) 3rd Reading House Amendments
  3. Apr 18, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
  4. Apr 17, 2025Senate
    (S) 2nd Reading House Amendments
  5. Apr 17, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
  6. Apr 11, 2025House
    (H) Returned to Senate with Amendments
  7. Apr 11, 2025House
    (H) 3rd Reading
  8. Apr 11, 2025House
    (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
  9. Apr 11, 2025House
    (H) 2nd Reading
  10. Apr 11, 2025House
    (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
  11. Apr 10, 2025Senate
    (S) Revised Fiscal Note Requested
  12. Apr 9, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Committee Report
  13. Apr 9, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Committee Executive Action
  14. Mar 6, 2025House
    (H) Hearing
  15. Mar 4, 2025House
    (H) 1st Reading
  16. Mar 4, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Referred to Committee
  17. Mar 3, 2025Senate
    (S) Transmitted to House
  18. Mar 3, 2025Senate
    (S) 3rd Reading
  19. Mar 3, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
  20. Mar 1, 2025Senate
    (S) 2nd Reading
  21. Mar 1, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
  22. Feb 26, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Committee Report
  23. Feb 26, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Committee Executive Action
  24. Feb 25, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Printed
  25. Feb 25, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Unsigned
  26. Feb 25, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Received
  27. Feb 21, 2025Senate
    (S) Hearing
  28. Feb 17, 2025Senate
    (S) 1st Reading
  29. Feb 17, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Requested
  30. Feb 17, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Referred to Committee
  31. Feb 17, 2025SenateIntroduced
    (S) Introduced
  32. Feb 17, 2025House
    (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
  33. Feb 15, 2025House
    (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
  34. Feb 14, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Assembly
  35. Feb 14, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
  36. Feb 13, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
  37. Feb 7, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Edit
  38. Feb 7, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Legal Review
  39. Nov 11, 2024House
    (LC) Drafter Assigned

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Greg HertzSenate · District 7RepublicanPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift99% confidence

Establishment of Dental Loss Ratio Regulation

Montana extends medical loss ratio transparency and rebate frameworks traditionally applied to health insurance specifically to dental insurance plans.

Commissioner of securities and insurance

Connected Entities

Commissioner of securities and insurance, Bureau of labor statistics of the United states department of labor, Economic affairs interim committee and 2 more
OrganizationCommissioner of securities and insurance“State official responsible for receiving dental loss ratio reports and publishin”Map →
OrganizationBureau of labor statistics of the United states department of labor“Federal agency reporting the latest dental services consumer price index”Map →
OrganizationEconomic affairs interim committee“Legislative committee receiving biennial reports from the commissioner”Map →
locationMontana“State where the legislation applies”Map →
PersonGreg Hertz“Republican Senator, District 7, primary sponsor of SB 335”Map →

Sources

Open source document

bills.legmt.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy30
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz25
    Current news / social attention level

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