Report Title:

Oral Health Institute of the Pacific, Maui; Dental Clinics and Services; GIA

Description:

Makes an appropriation for a grant to the Oral Health Institute of the Pacific, for continued operations of dental clinics and services on the island of Maui.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1428

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to THE oral health institute of the pacific.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the Oral Health Institute of the Pacific was opened in 2004 to:

(1) Increase access to oral health services by providing clinical dental services and case management to special needs patients, and underserved (i.e., low-income) children and adults who have not had access to oral health services in many years. The underserved include geriatric patients, adult mental health patients, renal dialysis patients, heart transplant patients, persons with HIV/AIDS, former inmates, and the homeless;

(2) Provide oral health resources for community agencies and healthcare professionals;

(3) Continue to build oral health teams -- trained in case management and teledentistry;

(4) Mentor people in the community to encourage careers in oral health;

(5) Teach hands-on training in teledentistry;

(6) Provide school-based oral health programs at Head-Start sites, for three- and four-year olds;

(7) Continue chairing monthly Maui County Dental Health Alliance meetings, where the community is working to improve access to oral health services, discusses ethical issues and challenges, patient advocacy, and legislative initiatives;

(8) Continue collecting data on oral health in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic Pacific Island population; and

(9) Continue building a community-based oral health program that is a model of partnership and collaboration for the betterment of the community's oral and overall health.

The legislature further finds that the target population of the institute are low-income residents of Maui County. Accordingly to statistics obtained from Hawaii's Medicaid office (office memo September 24, 2004) there are approximately 14,765 Medicaid recipients on Maui, 2,225 on Molokai and 268 on Lanai. Approximately half are children under age twenty-one. These residents of Maui county, in particular children under age twenty-one, as well as adults who are returning to the workforce, will be able to have a "dental home", resulting in decreased pain and infection, and an increased ability to concentrate on school and work, eliminating numerous absences.

The Oral Health Institute of the Pacific is forging new ground while addressing the serious challenges of access to oral health services for the underserved. The Oral Health Institute of the Pacific's oral health team provides the clinical expertise and critical link between the medical and dental communities and the underserved people of Maui county.

Unfortunately, Medicaid reimbursement for dental services is only twenty-five per cent of the cost of treating these patients. This is due to dentist non-participation with Medicaid, low Medicaid program reimbursement rates for dental services, and excessive paperwork for billing Medicaid.

Accordingly, the number of dental providers who actively treat these patients is alarmingly small. On Maui, there are fewer than five dentists who see these 14,765 patients. None of the pediatric dentists who practice on Maui participates with Medicaid. Often, children are flown to Oahu, accompanied by a parent or guardian, for dental treatment. This requires extensive coordination and case management and can be very traumatic for the patient, and costly to the State. On Lanai and Molokai there is one dentist on each island who sees Medicaid patients.

Medicaid benefits are supposed to be "comprehensive" for children up to age twenty-one, while benefits for adults are "emergency only".

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $250,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, as grants pursuant to chapter 42F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to the Oral Health Institute of the Pacific, for continued operations of dental clinics and services on the island of Maui.

SECTION 3. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2005.

INTRODUCED BY:

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