| | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | | Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3174-U is enacted to read: |
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| | | §3174-U.__Medicaid reimbursement for dental services |
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| | | The department shall conduct an annual review of the adequacy | | of reimbursement rates for dental services for dentists who | | provide care for a disproportionate number of patients whose care | | is reimbursed through the Medicaid program and the Cub Care | | program established in section 3174-T.__By January 1, 2000, the | | department shall report to the joint standing committee of the | | Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services | | matters on the results of the study, including the costs in | | General Fund and other money.__The department shall review dental | | fees annually and adjust them according to the Consumer Price | | Index as provided by the United States Department of Labor, | | Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
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| | | Sec. 2. Mobile vans for dental care. The Department of Human Services | | shall study the use of mobile vans for dental care to provide | | diagnostic and preventative dental services in remote or | | underserved areas of the State. By January 1, 2000, the | | department shall report to the Joint Standing Committee on Health | | and Human Services on the results of the study, including the | | costs of procuring the vans, suggested plans for staffing and | | support services and estimated costs in General Fund and other | | money. |
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| | | Sec. 3. Dental residency programs. The Department of Education shall | | study the feasibility and costs of establishing a dental | | residency program in the State. In studying the issue, the | | department shall work together with the University of New | | England, the hospitals in the State that provide medical | | residency programs, the Maine Dental Association and the Maine | | Ambulatory Care Coalition. By January 1, 2000, the department | | shall report to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human | | Services on the results of the study, including the costs of | | establishing residency programs and estimated costs in General | | Fund and other money. |
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| | | This bill requires the Department of Human Services and the | | Department of Education to undertake 3 studies and to report to | | the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services by | | January 1, 2000. The studies concern mobile vans for dental | | services, residency programs in dentistry and reimbursement rates | | for dentistry paid through the Medicaid program. It requires |
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