2026 NADP CONSORTIUM
Innovations to Dental Benefits and Building Support
This year’s consortium topic is Innovations to Dental Benefits and Building Support for Them. This collaborative program will examine and consider the ways that dental plans can innovate their benefits, including new cost-sharing structures, member incentives and transparency tools, and tools that incentivize providers and members to select high-value services. Relatedly, the consortium will deepen the toolbox regarding how dental plans can influence key stakeholders, including employers, brokers, and providers, toward embracing innovations.
Who Can Participate?
- NADP Dental Plan / full-voting member companies
- Consortium Sponsors
Why Should Your Company Attend?
- Exclusive Access to Six In-Depth Sessions
- Tangible Takeaways – Walk away with actionable documents that, based on your feedback
- Live Collaboration with Experts – Join industry peers and thought leaders to discuss, strategize, and problem-solve in real time.
- An Exclusive In-Person Workshop – Taking place the Thursday immediately after CONVERGE 2026 in Indianapolis (limited seating).
2026 Consortium Schedule & Topics
Session 1: April 23, 2026 • 1:00 - 2:30 PM (CT)
Topic: Consortium Kick-off: Building Support for Innovation by Understanding What Stakeholders Care About
About the session:
In this Consortium session, after kicking off with a review of our goals and a preview of the exciting content to come, we’ll delve into how to view dental innovations through the eyes of stakeholders: members, employers, brokers, providers, and insurers. We will discuss what each stakeholder wants (and doesn’t want) out of a dental plan, powered by industry surveys and research, Milliman consultant expertise, and your interactive real-time input!
Recommended Job Areas: All areas
Session 2: May 14, 2026 • 1:00 - 2:30 PM (CT)
Topic: Dental insurance benefits innovation
Differentiating plan design through emerging benefit structures and implementation considerations. [learn more]
Recommended Job Areas: Product Development, Product Strategy, Actuarial, Underwriting, Network Strategy, Sales and Account Management, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, Operations
Session 3: June 17, 2026 • 1:00 - 2:30 PM (CT)
Topic: The mouth is part of the body
Holistic health-focused dental innovations, chronic condition programs, and medical dental integration. [learn more]
Recommended Job Areas: Clinical Affairs, Product Development, Value Based Care, Population Health, Medical Dental Integration Teams, Provider Network, Care Management, Quality Improvement
Session 4: July 15, 2026 • 1:00 - 2:30 PM (CT)
Topic: Technology innovation in dental insurance
Sponsored by 8 West Consulting
AI, automation, teledentistry, and advanced data tools for insurers, providers, and members. [learn more]
Recommended Job Areas: Information Technology, Digital Transformation, Operations, Claims and Payment Integrity, Data Analytics, Fraud Waste and Abuse, Provider Network Operations, Member Experience
Session 5: August 26, 2026 • 1:00 - 2:30 PM (CT)
Topic: Provider Network and Access Innovations
Innovations in information flow and connectivity among patients, providers, and insurers, including the move toward real-time provider data and optimizing networks for patient access. [more]
Recommended Job Areas: Provider Network, Network Access and Adequacy, Credentialing and Provider Enrollment, Clinical Affairs, Care Management, Health Equity and Access, Member Services, Community Outreach
This session is sponsored by:
Session 6: at CONVERGE. October 1, 2026 • 8:30 - 12:00 PM (ET)
CONVERGE In-Person Workshop
Location: JW Marriott Indianapolis
Collaborating with industry experts to develop model documents and best practices that can be implemented across dental plans. [learn more]
Recommended Job Areas: All areas
2026 Participating Companies
- 8 West Consulting / Delta Dental of Washington
- Aetna / CVS Health
- AFLAC
- Ameritas
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
- Careington International
- Delta Dental of CA, NY, PA & Affiliates
- Delta Dental of IL
- Delta Dental of Iowa
- Delta Dental of Wisconsin
- DENCAP
- DenteMax
- GEHA
- Guardian Life
- HealthPartners
- Health Resources, Inc
- Humana
- LIBERTY Dental
- Lincoln Financial Group
- MetLife
- Mutual of Omaha
- Northeast Delta Dental
- Principal
- Sun Life
- United Concordia Dental
- United Healthcare
- Unum
What Your Company Will Gain from Participation
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A Competitive Edge: Gain insight into emerging dental benefit innovations and cost-sharing models before they become market expectations, helping your organization stay competitive and responsive.
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Practical Tools for Innovation: Walk away with actionable frameworks, examples, and implementation considerations for modernizing dental benefits, increasing member engagement, and encouraging high-value care choices.
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Stronger Stakeholder Alignment: Collaborate with peer organizations to explore effective ways to build support for benefit innovation among employers, brokers, and providers, strengthening adoption and long-term impact.
Pricing
The participation fee is $5,000 per company. This includes unlimited seating for all virtual sessions for each company. There will be limited seating for the in-person workshop due to the meeting room space.
Join the conversation and contribute to the solution.
Questions? Contact us at consortia@nadp.org.
Meet Your 2026 Consortium Facilitator: Milliman
This year’s consortium will be led by Joanne Fontana, FSA, MAAA, Principal and Consulting Actuary at Milliman, who serves as Milliman’s lead facilitator for the consortium.
Milliman is a global, independent professional services firm known for its actuarial, consulting, and data analytics expertise, helping clients in insurance, healthcare, employee benefits, and financial services manage complex risks and improve performance using advanced modeling and insights.
Consortium Session Sponsorships Available!
Are you looking to elevate your brand and engage with key industry decision-makers? Sponsorship opportunities are now available!