ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
DHS; dental services
Allows the Department of
Health Services (DHS) to contract with Arizona Health Care Cost Containment
System (AHCCCS) health plans to provide dental sealants to AHCCCS covered
children.
According to the office of
oral health in DHS, more than 65 percent of children in Arizona ages 11 to 13
years have experienced tooth decay.
Among children ages 6 through 8, 60 percent experience tooth decay,
exceeding the national average of 52 percent.
DHS maintains dental sealants are an effective way to prevent tooth
decay. In Arizona, 8 percent of
children ages 6 through 8 have dental sealants; the national average is 23
percent.
The office of oral health
administers a dental sealant program that provides dental sealants to at-risk
school children (who are in grades two and six) in the following nine counties
– Apache, Coconino, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai and
Yuma. According to DHS, 6,305 school
children in 83 schools participated in the dental sealant program in 2000. Of these students, 3,158 children received
12,827 sealants.
Under the dental sealant
program, children who have parent permission slips are screened by a dentist
regardless of insurance status.
However, only uninsured children who are determined to be in need of
sealants receive them. The parents of
children who have health care coverage receive a notice of their child’s need
for sealants and general oral health status.
S.B. 1192 authorizes DHS to contract with AHCCCS health plans to provide
and receive reimbursement for providing dental health care services to AHCCCS
covered children.
According to DHS, there is
no cost related to the provisions of this bill.
1. Expands the requirement of DHS to encourage and aid in coordinating local dental health programs to include the administration and provision of dental health care services.
2. Authorizes DHS to bill and receive payment for providing dental health care services and requires these monies to be deposited in the oral health fund.
3. Establishes the oral health fund under the administration of DHS and specifies the fund consists of reimbursements from AHCCCS health plans for providing dental health care services.
4. Requires, on notice from DHS, the State Treasurer to invest and divest monies in the oral health fund and credit investment earnings to the fund.
5. Specifies monies in the oral health fund are nonreverting, exempt from lapsing and continuously appropriated.
6. Makes technical changes.
7. Provides for a general effective date.
Amendments
Adopted by Committee
1. Clarifies DHS may bill and receive payment for providing dental services to AHCCCS covered children.
2. Requires DHS to spend monies in the oral health fund for dental health services.
Senate Action
HEA 2/5/02 DPA 8-0
3rd Read 2/12/02 DP 9-0-3
Prepared by Senate Staff
February 13, 2002