Amended in Assembly June 30, 2016

Amended in Senate June 1, 2016

Amended in Senate April 21, 2016

Amended in Senate April 11, 2016

Senate Bill No. 1098

Introduced by Senator Cannella

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Mayes and Wood)

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February 17, 2016

An act to add begin insert and repeal end insert Section begin delete 14005.273 end delete begin insert 14005.276 end insert to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1098, as amended, Cannella. Medi-Cal: dental services: advisory group.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which basic health care services are provided to qualified low-income persons. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Existing law provides coverage for certain dental services, as specified, to Medi-Cal beneficiaries 17 years of age and under through the Denti-Cal program.

This bill begin delete would end delete begin insert would, until January 1, 2022, end insert establish the Denti-Cal Advisory Group in the department, as specified, for the purpose of studying the policies and priorities of Denti-Cal with the goal of raising the Denti-Cal utilization rate among begin delete children and end delete begin insert children, end insert providing assistance and advice to the department, the Governor, and the Legislature to ensure that proposed decisions relating to the Denti-Cal program are based on the best available begin delete evidence. end delete begin insert evidence, and studying and evaluating how Denti-Cal program policies align with and support the implementation of the state oral health plan. The bill would prohibit the advisory group from taking a position on legislation. end insert The bill would make related legislative findings and declarations.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(1) Denti-Cal is the Medi-Cal dental health care component
program that was established soon after the 1966 creation of the
Medi-Cal program.

(2) According to an audit conducted by the State Auditor in
2014, only 43.9 percent of children enrolled in the Denti-Cal
program had seen a dentist in the previous year--a utilization rate
that was the 12th worst among states that submitted data to the
federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Eleven
California counties had no Denti-Cal providers or no providers
willing to accept new child patients covered by Denti-Cal.

(3) Denti-Cal’s 13 million or more beneficiaries need the State
Department of Health Care Services and dental care providers to
improve their relationships.

(4) In any sector, public or private, good relationships are built
on a foundation of good customer service.

(b) Therefore, the Legislature establishes pursuant to this act
an evidence-based advisory group to guide Denti-Cal priorities,
to study policy decisions, and to increase annual Denti-Cal
utilization rates among children in the state to 60 percent or greater,
as is the case in approximately 20 percent of states.

SEC. 2.  

Section begin delete 14005.273 end delete begin insert 14005.276 end insert is added to the Welfare
and Institutions Code, to read:

begin delete 14005.273. end delete

begin insert 14005.276. end insert   

(a) There is hereby established in the department
the Denti-Cal Advisory Group. The duties of the advisory group
shall include all of the following:

(1) Studying the policies and priorities of Denti-Cal, the state
Medi-Cal dental services program, with the goal of raising the
Denti-Cal utilization rate among eligible child beneficiaries to 60
percent or greater.

(2) Providing assistance and advice to the department, the
Legislature, and the Governor regarding proposed decisions relating
to the Denti-Cal program to ensure that those decisions are based
on the best available evidence.

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(3) Studying and evaluating how Denti-Cal program policies
align with and support the implementation of the state oral health
plan.

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(b) The advisory group shall consist of the following members:

(1) The state dental director.

(2)  begin delete Ten end delete begin insert Seven end insert members appointed by the Governor that shall
include the following:

(A) A representative from the California Dental Association.

(B) A representative from the California Dental Hygienists’
Association.

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(C) A licensed social worker.

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(D)

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begin insert (C) end insert  A representative of a begin insert philanthropic end insert health care foundation.

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(E)

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begin insert (D) end insert  A begin delete licensed pediatrician who is qualified to assess impacts
on the overall health of children. end delete begin insert representative of the California
Society of Pediatric Dentistry. end insert

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(F) An expert on practices in the dental insurance or health
insurance markets.

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(G)

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begin insert (E) end insert  Two university professors begin insert or educators end insert who are experts in
dental practice or the dental services field.

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(H)

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begin insert (F) end insert  A representative of a Denti-Cal health plan organization.

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(I) A consumer advocate with experience in children’s oral
health.

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(3)  begin delete Two members end delete begin insert A maternal and child health advocate, end insert
appointed by the Senate Committee on begin delete Rules that shall include the
following: end delete begin insert Rules, with experience in the link between a mother’s
access to oral health care during pregnancy and postpartum and
the child’s improved access to oral health care. end insert

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(A) A licensed dentist.

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(B) A licensed dental hygienist.

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(4)  begin delete Two members end delete begin insert A consumer advocate, end insert appointed by the
Speaker of the begin delete Assembly that shall include the following: end delete begin insert Assembly,
with experience in adult dental health. end insert

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(A) A licensed dentist.

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(B) A licensed dental hygienist.

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(c) Before entering upon the discharge of his or her official
duties, each member of the advisory group appointed pursuant to
this section shall take and file an oath pursuant to Sections 1360
and 1363 of the Government Code.

(d) A member of the begin delete commission end delete begin insert advisory group end insert shall serve
for a term of three years. There shall be no limit on the number of
terms a member may serve. The terms of members may be
staggered so that the terms of all members will not expire at the
same time.

(e) A member of the advisory group shall not be compensated
for his or her services, except that he or she shall be paid reasonable
per diem and reimbursement of reasonable expenses for attending
meetings and discharging other official responsibilities as
authorized by the department and this section.

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(f) The advisory group shall not take a position on legislation.

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(g) The advisory group may report any of its findings to the
Legislature.

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(h) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2022,
and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
is enacted before January 1, 2022, deletes or extends that date.

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