Oklahoma Senate Bill SB1101

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/25
• Refer: 2/4/25
• Report Pass: 3/6/25
• Engrossed: 3/31/25
• Refer: 4/1/25

Caption

Dental insurance; mandating reports by carrier; requiring certain data to be included in initial report. Effective date.

Summary

SB1101 creates new reporting requirements for dental insurance carriers in Oklahoma. The bill defines key terms such as “dental coverage plan,” “dental loss ratio,” “large employer,” “small employer,” and “community benefit expenditure,” and requires carriers that issue, sell, renew, or offer dental coverage plans to file annual reports with the Insurance Commissioner beginning June 30, 2027. The initial filing must include dental loss ratios for calendar years 2024, 2025, and 2026, and future reports must be filed annually by June 30 for the prior calendar year. The bill also requires the Insurance Commissioner to post the submitted reports on a dedicated website page by September 15 each year. In addition, the Insurance Department must evaluate whether the public reporting is effective and may recommend whether the reporting obligation should continue or be modified. The act takes effect November 1, 2025, and is codified in Title 36 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

Impact

SB1101 adds a new section to Oklahoma insurance law requiring dental carriers to disclose dental loss ratio information by market segment and to include specified categories in the calculation, including taxes, regulatory fees, certain community benefit expenditures, fraud reduction amounts, and other payments required by law. It affects dental insurers/carriers, the Insurance Commissioner, and the Insurance Department by creating ongoing reporting, publication, and evaluation duties, while also establishing statutory definitions that will govern implementation and compliance.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests generally favorable support for the bill. It passed the Senate Business & Insurance Committee unanimously on an amended committee substitute, passed the Senate on third reading by a wide margin, and then advanced through the House Insurance Committee with only one dissenting vote. No committee transcripts were provided, but the vote pattern indicates broad bipartisan or at least cross-chamber support for increased transparency in dental insurance reporting.

Contention

The main policy issue appears to be whether dental insurers should be required to publicly report loss ratio data and how those ratios should be calculated. The bill’s inclusion of community benefit expenditures and other non-claims items in the loss ratio definition may be a point of interest for insurers, regulators, and consumer advocates because it affects how carrier spending is measured and compared. The requirement for the Insurance Department to later assess the effectiveness of the reporting suggests some uncertainty about whether the new disclosure regime will meaningfully improve consumer information or market accountability.