California AOB Law Covers Hygienists in Alternative Practice Along With Dentists

Edited by Hygienetown staff

Registered dental hygienists in alternative practice are among the out-of-network providers California dental plans must pay directly when a patient assigns their benefits, under a California Dental Association-sponsored bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Sept. 27. AB 1629 takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

The law, Chapter 535 of the Statutes of 2026, applies to health care service plans and health insurance policies that cover out-of-network dental services, including specialized dental plans. When a noncontracting provider submits an assignment of benefits, the plan must pay that provider directly for covered services according to the patient’s benefit. Medi-Cal managed care and dental managed care contracts are excluded.

A provider collecting an assignment may not charge the patient more before the plan pays than an estimate of the patient’s cost share, or a deposit that approximates it. The provider must obtain and keep a signed and dated consent, which does not need to be submitted to the plan.

Before collecting the assignment, the provider must tell the patient six things: that the provider is out of network; that out-of-pocket costs may be lower with a contracted dentist; an estimate of the treatment cost and the patient’s share; that plan benefits may not apply and the provider is not bound by the plan’s contract terms; that the patient may confirm coverage with the plan first; and that the assignment is optional and can be revoked in writing for services not yet rendered.

Failing to make the disclosures, keep the consent, or observe the upfront-charge limit is defined as unprofessional conduct under the Dental Practice Act, which governs licensees of both the Dental Board of California and the Dental Hygiene Board of California.

The law also tightens network adequacy reporting. Plans must certify under penalty of perjury that the network data they submit to regulators is true and correct. That certification includes an attestation that they considered the total number of lives using the same provider network. The Legislature’s findings state that nearly half of Californians with commercial dental coverage are in self-insured, administrative-services-only, or third-party-administered arrangements that have not been included in the state’s network adequacy assessments.

Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, authored the bill, which passed 30-10 in the Senate and 62-5 on Assembly concurrence. “If you pay for coverage, you should be able to use it,” Haney said. CDA President Robert Hanlon said assignment of benefits legislation has been among the most frequent requests from CDA members.

CDA said AB 1629 is the 12th bill it has sponsored that has been signed into law in recent years under its Fix Our Dental Insurance campaign.

Sources:
California Legislative Information, AB 1629, Dental coverage, chaptered text, Chapter 535, Statutes of 2026: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/AB1629
Office of the Governor, “Governor Newsom issues legislative update 9.27.2026,” Sept. 27, 2026: gov.ca.gov/2026/09/27/legislative-update-9-27-2026
California Dental Association, “Governor signs CDA-sponsored bill on assignment of benefits, network adequacy standards,” Sept. 28, 2026: cda.org/newsroom/dental-plan-reform/assignment-of-benefits