WA’s biggest health insurer is overhauling its dental coverage in a move it claims will result in a greater choice of dentists and more transparency in gap payments.

HBF concedes some rebates for dental work such as crowns could fall to a fixed dollar benefit rather than a percentage of a fee as a result of the move.

The new Member Plus dental arrangement, revealed to hundreds of dentists in Perth last night, will replace the “preferred provider” system — or two-tiered benefit structure — from January 1.

There will be no limit on the number of dental practices that can join the new scheme.

The upside will be fully funded annual scale and cleans and clear limits on what signed-up dentists can charge for any preventive treatments.

For major dental, restorative treatments and orthodontics, HBF will set dollar-amount benefits that will be the samefor all dentists, regardless of whether they belong to the Member Plus arrangement.

HBF said there would be no maximum set for what dentists could charge for these high-cost services, which would encourage healthy competition across the industry.

For dentists signed up to the arrangement, benefits will change from the current 60 per cent, 70 per cent and 80 per cent, depending on the level of cover, to a set dollar amount.

HBF said that in some cases the rebates could be lower than the current benefit but the new arrangement meant members could see how much they would get back for those services through a dollar amount.

The insurer said it would also increase benefits for dentists not signed up to Member Plus. Chief executive John Van Der Wielen said dental services made up a big proportion of its benefit payments, costing $249 million in the past financial year.

But it was important to have an arrangement that was more transparent and sustainable in the long term. The number one reason for people not visiting the dentist was the cost, often unknown and perceived to be expensive.

“We recognise that the current arrangement is no longer fit for purpose for the future, so we’ve listened and acted on feedback from the Australian Dental Association, dentists and our members,” Mr Van Der Wielen said. “Greater choice of dentist for our members and simplicity and transparency in relation to dental benefits were ‘must-haves’ of the new arrangement.”