Bill Text: NH SB193 | 2014 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Establishing a commission to study pathways to oral health care in New Hampshire.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-2)
Status: (Passed) 2014-08-05 - II. Remainder Effective 08/01/2014 [SB193 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2014-SB193-Amended.html
SB 193-FN – AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
01/30/14 0334s
2013 SESSION
01/10
SENATE BILL 193-FN
AN ACT establishing a commission to study pathways to oral health care in New Hampshire.
SPONSORS: Sen. Gilmour, Dist 12; Sen. Woodburn, Dist 1; Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist 20; Sen. Reagan, Dist 17; Rep. Rosenwald, Hills 30; Rep. M. Nelson, Hills 35; Rep. Emerson, Ches 11
COMMITTEE: Health, Education and Human Services
This bill establishes the commission to study pathways to oral health care in New Hampshire.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
01/30/14 0334s
13-0859
01/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Thirteen
AN ACT establishing a commission to study pathways to oral health care in New Hampshire.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Commission to Study Pathways to Oral Health Care in New Hampshire. Amend RSA 317-A by inserting after section 21-e the following new section:
317-A:21-f Commission to Study Pathways to Oral Health Care in New Hampshire.
I. There is established a commission to study and evaluate pathways to oral health care in New Hampshire.
II. The members of the commission shall be as follows:
(a) Two members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.
(b) Two members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
(c) A representative of the New Hampshire Dental Society, appointed by the society.
(d) A representative of the New Hampshire Dental Hygienists Association, appointed by the association.
(e) A representative of the New Hampshire board of dental examiners, appointed by the board.
(f) A representative of New Hampshire Kids Count, appointed by the organization.
(g) A representative of the New Hampshire Oral Health Coalition, appointed by the coalition.
(h) A representative of the New Hampshire Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, appointed by the academy.
(i) The New Hampshire Medicaid dental director, or designee.
(j) A representative of a federally qualified health center (FQHC) with a dental program that has been in existence for 3 years, appointed by the Bi-State Primary Care Association.
III. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation, provided that legislative members shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the commission.
IV. The commission shall analyze and evaluate coverage for dental care for underserved New Hampshire residents, the impact of the implementation of expanded function dental assistants and certified public health dental hygienists, and how adding these 2 new professions to the dental team will meet the need for oral health services in New Hampshire Such evaluation shall include a review of oral health access data and needs and coverage needs for dental services for underserved New Hampshire residents.
V. The commission may solicit and obtain information, presentation, or testimony from any person or entity with expertise or experience relevant to the commission’s study.
VI. The members of the commission shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the commission shall be called by the first-named senate member. The first meeting of the commission shall be held within 90 days of the effective date of this section. Seven members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.
VII. The commission shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the senate clerk, the house clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before November 15, 2015.
2 Repeal. RSA 317-A:21-f, relative to the commission on pathways to oral health care, is repealed.
3 Effective Date.
I. Section 2 of this act shall take effect November 15, 2015.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon its passage.
LBAO
13-0859
Revised 02/14/13
SB 193 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to dental therapists and access to oral health care.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The New Hampshire Board of Dental Examiners and the Department of Health and Human Services state this bill, as introduced, would increase state revenue and expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2014 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on county and local revenue or expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Board of Dental Examiners states the Board would be involved in developing: the dental therapy program, testing and licensing requirements, supervision and monitoring requirements, and, reviewing and approving practice agreements. The Board assumes the New Hampshire Technical Institute would develop a dental therapy program that would require an additional year of training for hygienists and three years of training for students without a dental hygiene degree. The Board assumes a class size of ten students consisting of one-half hygienists and one-half students without a dental hygiene degree. The Board assumes the license and registration fees for therapists would be similar to current fees for hygienists and there would be no additional revenue associated with the hygienists choosing to become therapists since they already pay licensure and renewal fees. Based on these assumptions the Board projects the following revenue and expenditures:
Revenue
FY 2014
FY 2015
FY 2016
FY 2017
Dental Therapy Licenses (5 @ $100)
$0
$0
$500
$500
Dental Therapy Registration (5@ $160)
$0
$0
$800
$800
Total Revenue:
$0
$0
$1,300
$1,300
Expenditures:
Additional costs for testing, licensure, rulemaking, supervision and monitoring:
$2,000
$2,000
$2,305
$2,315
Software for E-licensing :
$5,000
$300
$330
$363
Increase in Telecommunications costs:
$250
$263
$276
$290
Additional 5 hours/ week for Administrator I:
$8,470
$8,470
$8,470
$8,470
Associated Benefits @ 7.65%
$648
$648
$648
$693
Total Expenditures:
$16,368
$11,681
$12,029
$12,131
The Department of Health and Human Services states this bill creates a coverage mandate for oral health services provided by dental therapists if those services would otherwise be covered by the Medicaid program if performed by a dentist or hygienist. The Department states the Medicaid program covers preventative and restorative services for children under the age of 21 and very limited emergency services for those over the age of 21. The Department is not able to determine when the first dental therapists would be licensed, if they would enroll in the Medicaid program, how many Medicaid recipients would visit a dental therapist for care, or what the dental therapy rates would be. The Department indicates, to the extent more Medicaid recipients would receive oral health services under this bill, there may be additional costs to the Medicaid program, however, due to the uncertainties listed, the Department cannot project the fiscal impact of the bill.
