BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 502
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 13, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
502 (Chau) - As Amended April 30, 2015
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Policy |Business and Professions |Vote:|10 - 4 |
|Committee: | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------|
| |Health | |11 - 7 |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable:
No
SUMMARY:
This bill makes several adjustments to statutes governing dental
hygienists. Specifically, this bill:
AB 502
Page 2
1)Allows an alternative dental hygiene practice established
within a certified dental health professional shortage area
(DHPSA) to continue to operate upon removal of the DHPSA
certification.
2)Prohibits health care service plans and health insurance
policies that cover dental services issued, amended, or
renewed after January 1, 2016, from denying reimbursement to a
contracted provider, or to an enrollee if out-of-network
services are covered, when the service is performed by a
registered dental hygienist in alternative practice (RDHAP).
Requires the same fee schedule be used for dental hygiene
services, whether services are performed by a registered
dental hygienist (RDH) or an RDHAP.
3)Clarifies RDHAPs are authorized to establish professional
corporations.
FISCAL EFFECT:
Any costs to the California Department of Insurance and the
Department of Managed Health Care to assess compliance with this
bill's requirements are expected to be minor and absorbable.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. The author states this bill will remove barriers in
existing law for RDHAPs to practice and increase public access
to quality dental hygiene services. These barriers include:
(1) Currently, RDHAPs cannot practice in an DHPSAs once they
lose certification; (2) RDHAPs are not currently provided with
proper financial incentives to provide services, as health
AB 502
Page 3
plans and insurers are denying reimbursement for RDHAP
services; and (3) there are no current business protections
for RDHAPs in statute, though existing law authorizes them to
incorporate.
2)Background. RDHAPs are RDHs in the state of California with
bachelor's degrees (or equivalent certifications), who have
completed a continuing education course in independent
practice dental hygiene and passed a licensing examination
administered by the Dental Hygiene Committee of California
(DHCC). Once licensed, DHCC requires RDHAPs to designate a
"dentist of record" for referrals, consultations, or
emergencies, after which RDHAPs are able to provide dental
hygiene services without the supervision of a dentist to
underserved populations in "alternative practice" settings,
which are schools, residential and other institutions,
residences of the homebound, and dental health professional
shortage areas. According to DHCC, there are currently 563
RDHAPs licensed to practice in specified alternative settings.
3)Opposition. The California Dental Association is opposed to
this bill, citing concerns about oversight of RDHAPs who
continue to practice after DHPSA certification is revoked, and
lack of evidence or data to support this proposal.
Analysis Prepared by:Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
AB 502
Page 4