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 for QUEST, SCHIP, and Medicaid recipients, and uninsured who cannot find dental services in the private sector. (SD1)

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

1535

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

S.D. 1

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 increase access to oral health services by providing clinical dental services and case management to special needs patients, and underserved children and adults. These underserved children and adults are medicaid, QUEST, or SCHIP recipients or are uninsured and have not had access to oral health services in many years. The underserved population includes geriatric patients, adult mental health patients, renal dialysis patients, heart transplant patients, persons with HIV/AIDS, former inmates, and the homeless.

The underserved population by and large cannot access dental services in their communities. This is due to dentist non-participation with medicaid, low medicaid program reimbursement rates for dental services at only twenty-five per cent of the cost of treatment, 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. Approximately half are children under age twenty-one. None of the pediatric dentists who practice on Maui participate 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.

The Oral Health Institute of the Pacific is addressing the serious challenges of access to oral health services for the under-served that are not being addressed in the private sector. 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's oral health team provides the clinical expertise and critical link between the medical and dental communities and the under-served people of Maui county.

The purpose of this Act is to make an appropriation for a grant to the Oral Health Institute of the Pacific so it can continue to operate dental clinics and provide dental services for QUEST, SCHIP, and Medicaid recipients, and the uninsured who cannot find dental services in the private sector on Maui.

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 for direct dental services for QUEST, SCHIP, and Medicaid recipients, and the uninsured 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.