SPRINGFIELD – Dental patients will no longer have to worry about footing the bill for an appointment while waiting to be reimbursed by their insurance plan, thanks to an initiative led by State Senator Javier Loera Cervantes that was signed into law on Friday.

“Thousands of Illinoisans rely on receiving a check in the mail from their insurance company to cover an appointment they had to pay for themselves — a method that can cause financial strain for patients,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “Thanks to this new law, Illinoisans will no longer face trouble accessing care due to this payment method.”

Without this legislation, dental insurance carriers are only required to cover the cost of the visit — but it is unspecified if they need to pay the providers directly, or just reimburse the patient for their visit. This means many insurance plans do not immediately pay for a patient’s treatment, leaving them to cover the bill after the visit, only to reimburse them months later.

To reduce the financial burden this places on patients, Senate Bill 1392 requires insurance companies to send payments directly to dental providers when the patient requests.

“If someone’s check is lost in the mail or accidentally cashed early, the patient may be short on payment when the appointment actually comes, leaving them unable to get the dental care they are entitled to through their insurance,” said Cervantes. “This measure eliminates this from becoming an issue and ensures patients with insurance will have their appointments covered and paid for through correspondence with the dentist, not with them as a go-between.”

Senate Bill 1392 takes effect Jan. 1, 2026.