Research Retrospective 2016

December 2016

Research Retrospective

The Research Commission published six annual Statistical Reports, four Sales Reports, and two Shared Research reports this year, with two more Statistical Reports pending release in January 2017.

Annual Statistical Reports

• NADP State of the Market Report

The State of the Market Report is an executive summary of the prior year research conducted by NADP. In addition, the report explores potential economic and legislative trends and their impact on the dental benefits market. NADP published this report in March of 2016. The State of the Market Report is the most popular report NADP publishes.

• NADP Enrollment Report.

NADP has partnered with Delta Dental Plan Association in the publication of the annual Dental Benefits Enrollment Report for the past 13 years. This year DDPA chose not to be listed as a co-author of the report but continued to provide enrollment data for the entire Delta system. Plans were put in place to continue this arrangement for the foreseeable future. This year’s report was published in early September.

• NADP/LIMRA Claims Processing, Administrative and Contact Center Metrics

In partnership with LIMRA, NADP published the Claims Processing Metrics Report in September. The Customer Contact Center Metrics Report and the Administrative Metrics Report were published in October. While the subjects of the Claims and Customer Contact Centers Reports are self-explanatory, the Administrative Metrics report includes information on group processing and provider recruitment, credentialing and directories.

• NADP Financial Operations Report.

Dental Loss Ratios continue to be a political issue in California and other states making the Financial Operations Report a valuable tool in NADP’s continuing advocacy on the subject wherever it arises. The report was issued to participating companies in December and will be made available in the Knowledge Center in March 2017.

• NADP/DDPA Joint Networks Report.      

Like the Enrollment Report, DDPA provides data for the entire Delta Dental system. While this report was scheduled to be released in 2016, we are continuing to analyze the data collected in an effort to publish the most accurate report possible. We expect to release this report in the first quarter of 2017.

• NADP Premium and Benefits Utilization Report (OPEN for data contributions)

This report was published in early 2016 and includes data on in-force premium levels by state as well as data on utilization of benefits and utilization of network providers. The deadline for participation in this study is January 13, 2017.

Annual Sales Reports

• LIMRA/NADP 2015 Annual Sales and In-force Report

NADP also partnered with LIMRA to publish sales reports from 4Q 2015, Annual 2015, and 1Q, 2Q and 3Q 2016. The quarterly and annual surveys are being revised for 2017 to include vision benefits and to clarify other items.

Additional Research Activities

• Shared Research Program

• Employer Behavior: The Shared Research Program fielded the fourth and final wave of a four wave study on Employer Behaviors and Expectations given the requirement that employers with 50 or fewer employees would be required to offer health coverage including pediatric dental to its full time employees or face penalties. The report was delivered to participants at the end of May 2016 and made available in the Knowledge Center last month.

• Consumer Behavior: NADP published the Consumer Tracking study in February of this year. Nineteen companies (including two non-members) sponsored the study. The second wave of this survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of this year and a draft report has been delivered to sponsors. A final version of this report is expected to be delivered in January to sponsors. This report will NOT be made available to companies that did not sponsor the study.

NADP State Fact Sheets

State reports were produced through the Research Commission and have been available since February; they are available for purchase to non-members.