Dear Colleague,

I am very pleased to inform you that CDA has achieved a favorable and, in many respects, unprecedented settlement in our legal action against Delta Dental regarding its attempt to cut Premier Plan reimbursement fees. You asked us to take a stand on your behalf — to protect your right to fair dealings — and we succeeded. CDA accomplished this result on your behalf after 3 1/2 years of hard-fought litigation, including a lengthy mediation. And during this entire period, we successfully blocked Delta Dental's attempt to reduce reimbursement rates for the Premier Plan, which has saved providers nearly a half-billion dollars in fee reimbursements.

This hard-fought legal battle demonstrates the lengths CDA will go on behalf of its members. This kind of litigation, though expensive and time-consuming, is sometimes necessary to ensure your voice is effectively heard by dental benefit plans. We stress, however, that litigation is generally a last resort.

CDA is committed to supporting members with sophisticated practice management and dental benefits guidance through CDA Practice Support, which offers important tools to assist with managing your practice and evaluating the plans you accept in your office, at cda.org/practicesupport.

Your membership provides CDA with the opportunity to support dentists in many ways, including our pursuit of this litigation on your behalf, and we thank you for being a member of the California Dental Association. Today, and every day, we will continue to work hard to protect your practice and the patients you serve.

For details, read the settlement summary. CDA will keep members informed with the latest information about the settlement through cda.org/delta, our e-newsletter and the CDA Update.

Sincerely,

Clelan Ehrler, DDS, MS
President