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An Act To Create Greater Cost Efficiency and Improve Health Outcomes by Incorporating Increased Access to Dental Services for Adults through MaineCare's Care Management and Coordination Initiatives
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas,  the cost of providing care for acute dental conditions to MaineCare members has a tremendous negative impact on the MaineCare budget and this legislation needs to take effect before the expiration of the 90-day period to lessen that impact; and
Whereas,  in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3174-F, sub-§1, ¶D, as amended by PL 1997, c. 159, §1, is further amended to read:
 
D. Treatment necessary to relieve pain, eliminate infection or prevent imminent tooth loss; and
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §3174-F, sub-§1, ¶F, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 159, §2, is amended to read:
 
F. Other dental services, including full and partial dentures, medically necessary to correct or ameliorate an underlying medical condition, if the department determines that provision of those services will be cost-effective in comparison to the provision of other covered medical services for the treatment of that condition.; and
Sec. 3.  22 MRSA §3174-F, sub-§1, ¶G  is enacted to read:
 
G.  Preventive and restorative dental services necessary to treat oral health conditions if:
 
(1) Those services are referred by an individual's home health care provider or other provider approved by the department; and
 
(2) The home health care provider or other provider determines the provision of those services is necessary to prevent the need for more costly care.
Sec. 4. Rulemaking. The Department of Health and Human Services shall adopt routine technical rules pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A to implement the provisions in Title 22, section 3174-F, subsection 1, paragraph G no later than July 1, 2014.
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect June 1, 2014.
 
SUMMARY
This bill builds upon Department of Health and Human Services MaineCare initiatives to better coordinate care and to reduce health care costs by allowing MaineCare coverage of preventive or restorative dental services to persons 21 years of age and older when department-authorized care coordination entities determine that the provision of those services is cost-effective.