DHS; dental services
DP |
Committee on Health |
|
|
DP |
Committee on Appropriations |
|
|
X |
Caucus and COW |
|
|
|
Third Read |
|
|
|
As Passed the House |
|
SB 1192 allows the Department of Health Services (DHS) to provide dental care services and permits them to collect payment for these services from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).
SB 1192 passed the Health Committee and the Appropriations Committee unamended.
Dental sealants are plastic coatings applied over decay-prone pits and fissures of teeth, usually the chewing surfaces of the back teeth (molars). Sealants act as barriers to protect the enamel of a tooth from acids and plaque. To place a sealant on a tooth, first the tooth must be cleaned. Then the surface is roughened with an acid solution to help the sealant adhere to the tooth. The sealant is then 'painted' onto the tooth enamel, where it bonds directly to the tooth and hardens. Sometimes a special curing light is used to help the sealant harden.
A 1988-1990 statewide survey conducted by the DHS Office of Oral Health (OOH) showed that over 80% of tooth decay in school age children was found in pits and fissures. Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General (2000) noted that uninsured children are 2.5 times less likely to receive dental care than insured children, and children from families without dental insurance are 3 times as likely to have dental needs as compared to their insured peers.
The OOH administers the Dental Sealant Program, which targets elementary schools where at least 75% of the student population is at or below the Federal Poverty Level. The program targets children in the second and sixth grade. It provides a diagnostic exam to all children with parental consent, and sealants for uninsured children. DHS sends a notice home with Title XIX and Title XXI eligible children to encourage their parents to seek dental services through their health plan. The OOH receives funding through several federal grants, totaling approximately $300,000. In addition, the state has appropriated $100,000 in FY 2002 and FY 2003 for this program. In 2000, the program served 6,305 children from 83 schools.
SB 1192 allows DHS provide dental health services and receive reimbursement for such services through AHCCCS. This will enable DHS to expand their program and provide sealants to Title XIX and Title XXI eligible children at the school site, instead of just uninsured children. DHS does not believe additional funds will be necessary, as the services for Title XIX and Title XXI children will be reimbursed by AHCCCS.
· Allows DHS to administer and provide dental health care services, in addition to aiding in the coordination of local programs in cooperation with the Arizona Dental Association.
· Allows DHS to bill and receive payment for dental health care costs, and directs DHS to deposit the monies received as reimbursement into the Oral Health Fund. This will allow DHS to be reimbursed for dental services provided to children who are Title XIX or Title XXI eligible.
· Establishes the Oral Health Fund consisting of monies DHS receives from AHCCCS as reimbursement for dental services provided by DHS.
· Allows DHS to administer the fund.
· Continuously appropriates monies in the fund and exempts them from lapsing.
· States that monies in the Oral Health Fund do not revert to the general fund.
· Makes technical and conforming changes.
SB 1192 passed the Health Committee
unamended.
SB 1192 passed the Appropriations Committee
unamended.
---------- DOCUMENT
FOOTER ---------
45th Legislature
Second Regular Session 2 April 24,
2002
---------- DOCUMENT
FOOTER ---------