Bill Text: HI HB1197 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To Human Services.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 21-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-12-11 - Carried over to 2024 Regular Session. [HB1197 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2024-HB1197-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
1197 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1.
The legislature finds that, in response to the State's receipt of a
failing grade of "F" in a series of recent oral health report cards
released by The Pew Center on the States, a more concerted effort needs to be
made to address oral health in Hawaii, especially in underserved communities.
According to the department of health in
its "Hawaii Oral Health: Key
Findings" report of September 25, 2015:
(1) Eighty-two
per cent of high-income adults in Hawaii see a dentist each year, as compared
to only fifty-two per cent of low-income adults;
(2) Fifty-one
per cent of low-income adults lost teeth due to dental disease, compared to
only thirty-two per cent of high-income adults;
(3) Only
forty-one per cent of pregnant women in Hawaii reported seeing a dentist during
their pregnancy from 2009 to 2011, with low-income women and women in the
medicaid program among the lowest estimated groups of receiving care;
(4) In
2012, there were more than three thousand emergency room visits due to
preventable dental problems, representing a sixty-seven per cent increase from
2006, significantly higher than the national average, and these visits
accounted for $8,500,000 in total expenditures by the State, more than double
the $4,000,000 spent in 2006; and
(5) Only
eleven per cent of Hawaii's residents receive fluoridated drinking water, as
compared to seventy-five per cent for the United States as a whole.
The
legislature finds that these figures represent that oral health in the State is
a pervasive and expensive public health crisis that needs to be addressed,
especially in low-income and underserved populations.
In response to these glaring disparities and inadequacies, the department of health posited eight key strategies for rebuilding the State's dental public health infrastructure, including:
(1) Continuing to support and expand affordable and accessible preventive dental care services to Hawaii's low-income populations through demonstration projects for mobile and remote dental clinics;
(2) Expanding medicaid dental services for adults beyond the current coverage for "emergencies only" to include preventive and treatment services;
(3) Considering increasing reimbursements to dental providers for key preventive or restorative procedures to increase participation in medicaid; and
(4) Developing strategies to reduce barriers to finding and receiving preventive dental care services for children enrolled in the medicaid program.
The legislature finds that it is in the best interest of the State to expand access to coverage by restoring basic adult dental benefits to medicaid enrollees.
The legislature further finds that the State's federally matched medicaid program forms an essential support for underserved individuals by offering insurance options for low-income citizens, in addition to other social service programs. The legislature further finds that restoring basic adult dental benefits would be in line with the intent of the department of health, allowing for individuals to eat properly, work productively, improve mental health well-being, and increase attendance and participation in school.
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to restore basic adult dental benefits to medicaid enrollees.
SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2023-2024 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024-2025 to restore basic adult dental benefits to medicaid enrollees. The department of human services shall obtain the maximum federal matching funds available for this expenditure.
The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2023.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Medicaid; Adult Dental Benefits; Appropriation
Description:
Appropriates funds to DHS to restore basic adult dental benefits to medicaid enrollees. Requires DHS to obtain the maximum federal matching funds available for this expenditure.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
