Bay Area Dental Insurance Reform Webinar Series
Part 1 – Tuesday, November 17th
Part 2 – Tuesday, December 8th
6:30pm – 7:30pm
Online via Zoom
FREE for SCCDS Members
Tuesday, November 17th – Dental Insurance at a Crossroads: Understanding the Past, Confronting the Present, and Shaping the Future
Presented By: Robert Shorey, DDS
Dental insurance is top of mind for dentists in our communities; for good reasons. A system originally designed to help patients access dental care has struggled to keep pace with the realities of modern dentistry, overhead costs and the oral health needs of today’s adult patients. Stagnant benefit levels and limitations in coverage have left dentists questioning whether the current model still serves patients, practices, or the profession effectively — spoiler alert “They’re NOT!”.
In this thought-provoking seminar, Dr. Shorey will trace the history and evolution of dental insurance in California and the United States, examine the forces that have shaped today’s system, and explore why it falls short of meeting the needs of our patients.
More importantly, this seminar will look beyond the problems to explore potential solutions. We will discuss practical, short-term strategies dentists can consider today, as well as longer-term approaches to rethinking dental benefits and developing sustainable alternatives for the future.
Understanding how we got here is the first step toward changing where we go next. Join us for an engaging discussion that challenges conventional thinking, encourages fresh perspectives, and empowers dentists to become part of the solution — come learn and participate in the discussion.
Tuesday, December 8th – The Future of Dental Insurance: Where Might We Go from Here?
Presented By: Marko Vujicic, Ph.D.
Dental insurance helps brings millions of Americans to the dentist. It also ranks as one of the biggest pain points for dental practices both in terms of reimbursement rates and administrative headaches. Why? How effective is the dental insurance model at financing necessary dental care? Discretionary dental care? How does this differ for children, adults, Medicaid, Medicare, and privately insured beneficiaries? Most importantly, what does the future hold in terms of possibilities for major dental insurance reform? Get ready for a data-driven, interactive, and at times uncomfortable conversation!
Featured Speakers
PART 1 – Robert Shorey, DDS is an experienced dentist and owner of Shorey Dentistry in Morgan Hill, California. A graduate of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at USC, Dr. Shorey is passionate about lifelong learning and advancing dental care through technology, with particular expertise in digital clinical photography. He has lectured at local and state dental association meetings, and has published articles in the Journal of the California Dental Association. Dr. Shorey also previously served as Editor of the Santa Clara County Dental Society’s award-winning magazine, The Cutting Edge and currently serves on the Board of Component Representatives on behalf of SCCDS.
PART 2 – Marko Vujicic, Ph.D. currently serves as Chief Economist and Vice President of the Health Policy Institute as well as Chief of International Relations at the American Dental Association. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals such as Health Affairs, The New England Journal of Medicine, and JAMA his team’s work has been cited by CNN, The New York Times, Fox News, and The Washington Post. Dr. Vujicic holds academic appointments at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, University of British Columbia, University of Toronto and Tufts University.
