Bill Text: NJ A5047 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "Oral Health Equity Act."
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee [A5047 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5047-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman MICHAEL VENEZIA
District 34 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Oral Health Equity Act."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning oral health and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Oral Health Equity Act."
2. As used in this act:
"Community oral health center" means the following in-State entities: a federally qualified health center, a dental home, or an acute care hospital licensed by the Department of Health that provides dental services to uninsured and underinsured individuals who reside in a medically underserved area.
"Dental home" means a licensed dental practice that administers services in a manner that is accessible, culturally-sensitive, and family-centered. A "dental home" shall not include a licensed dental practice if less than 75 percent of the dental practice's patients are individuals who are low income and who reside in a medically underserved area.
"Department" means the Department of Human Services.
"Low-income" means a gross annual household income that is less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
"Medically underserved area" means an area designated by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration as having too few primary care providers, a high rate of infant mortality and poverty, and a disproportionately high share of elderly persons in the population of the area.
"Medicaid" means New Jersey Medical Assistance and Health Services Program established pursuant to P.L.1968, c.413 (C.30:4D-1 et seq.).
"NJ FamilyCare" means the NJ FamilyCare Program established pursuant to sections 3 through 5 of P.L.2005, c.156 (C.30:4J-10 through C.30:4J-12).
"Underinsured" means an individual who receives health insurance services under the Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare program.
"Uninsured" means an individual who lives below the federal poverty level, and who is not eligible to receive health insurance services under the Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare program.
3. a. The department shall establish an oral health equity program through agreements with community oral health centers.
b. A community oral health center seeking to participate in the oral health equity program shall file an application with the department, in a manner to be determined by the department. The department shall require an eligible community oral health center to enter into an agreement with the department to provide dental care to underinsured and uninsured patients. The dental care shall include the following:
(a) an initial dental visit for a comprehensive exam, cleaning, caries risk assessment, periodontal charting, and the establishment of a one-year treatment plan;
(b) comprehensive dental care and restorative treatment as needed;
(c) a cleaning and treatment plan review approximately six months and one year following the date of the initial dental visit;
(d) two dental visits for the patient on an annual basis;
(e) identification of a dental home for the patient; and
(f) reimbursement for the provision of dental care services to community oral health centers at a rate that is equal to or greater than the rate of reimbursement received by federally qualified health centers for similar services.
c. Within 90 days following the effective date of this act, each community oral health center participating in the oral health equity program shall compile and report relevant data to the department, as determined by the department.
4. The Commissioner of Human Services shall apply for such Medicaid waivers or State plan amendments as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this act and to secure federal financial reimbursements for State expenditures under the federal Medicaid program.
5. The Commissioner of Human Services shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
6. This act shall take effect 90 days following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the "Oral Health Equity Act."
Under the bill, the Department of Human Services (department) is to establish an oral health equity program through agreements with community oral health centers. A community oral health center seeking to participate in the oral health equity program is to file an application with the department, in a manner to be determined by the department. The department is to require an eligible community oral health center to enter into an agreement with the department to provide dental care to underinsured and uninsured patients. The dental care is to include the following:
(1) an initial dental visit for a comprehensive exam, cleaning, caries risk assessment, periodontal charting, and the establishment of a one-year treatment plan;
(2) comprehensive dental care and restorative treatment as needed;
(3) a cleaning and treatment plan review approximately six months and one year following the date of the initial dental visit;
(4) two dental visits for the patient on an annual basis
(5) identification of a dental home for the patient; and
(6) reimbursement for the provision of dental care services to community oral health centers at a rate that is equal to or greater than the rate of reimbursement received by federally qualified health centers for similar services.
It is the sponsor's belief that New Jersey is lagging in oral health care, with surveillance data positioning it at a disadvantage in comparison to other states. All residents of New Jersey should have equitable access to oral health centers. Attributable to low reimbursement rates from NJ Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare plans, a significant lack of dental providers in marginalized and rural communities exacerbates this significant gap, making Black and Hispanic children from low socioeconomic families suffer from dental disease at two to three times the rate of their counterparts, leading to school absenteeism and lower school performance. It is in the best interest of the residents of New Jersey, and appropriate for the Legislature to address the long-standing lack of access to oral health care and address its serious implications.
