Dental insurance market competitiveness is linked to dental practice structure, according to research cited by the American Dental Association.
The ADA infographic used data from a 2019 paper published in the International Journal of Health Economics and Management. The paper reports on market competitiveness using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and is based on the 2015 FAIR Health Dental Benchmark Module. The calculation of HHI is based on the market share of each insurers' paid claims.
According to the paper, less competitive dental insurance markets are associated with:
- Larger dental practice size
- Lower dental practice ownership rates among dentists
Competitiveness of dental insurance market, by state:
Not competitive (HHI > 2,500)
Minnesota — 5,170
Vermont — 4,730
Hawaii — 4,350
New Hampshire — 3,580
Maine — 3,420
Delaware — 2,830
North Dakota — 2,650
California — 2,580
Moderately competitive (1,500 < HHI < 2,500)
Connecticut — 2,410
New Jersey — 2,380
Michigan — 2,310
Pennsylvania — 2,270
Tennessee — 2,110
Alaska — 2,050
Rhode Island — 2,030
Massachusetts — 2,030
Colorado — 2,020
Virginia — 1,990
Montana — 1,990
Kansas — 1,970
Ohio — 1,960
West Virginia — 1,940
District of Columbia — 1,940
Nebraska — 1,930
Maryland — 1,910
North Carolina — 1,870
Arizona — 1,860
Utah — 1,820
Florida — 1,810
South Carolina — 1,790
Georgia — 1,780
Idaho — 1,770
Kentucky — 1,760
Washington — 1,740
Alabama — 1,740
Illinois — 1,720
Oklahoma — 1,700
New Mexico — 1,700
Texas — 1,690
Missouri — 1,660
Wisconsin — 1,630
Wyoming — 1,620
South Dakota — 1,600
New York — 1,600
Iowa — 1,600
Mississippi — 1,590
Louisiana — 1,550
Indiana — 1,520
Competitive (HHI < 1,500)
Oregon — 1,480
Nevada — 1,260