Amended in Assembly August 15, 2016

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

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Mayes and Wood)

February 17, 2016

An act to add and repeal Section 14005.276 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1098, as amended, Cannella. Medi-Cal: dental services: begin delete advisory group. end delete begin insert utilization rate: report. end insert

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, until January 1, 2022, 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 children, 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 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. The bill would make related legislative findings and declarations. end delete begin insert would require the department to report to the Legislature, by October 1, 2017, on progress towards the goal of raising the Denti-Cal utilization rate among eligible child beneficiaries to 60% or greater and identify a date by which the department projects this utilization goal will be met. The bill would authorize the department to include in the report recommendations for legislative consideration that would assist the department to meet the goal by the specified date, as prescribed. The bill’s provisions would be repealed on January 1, 2021, pursuant to specified law. end insert

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

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

begin delete

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.

end delete

begin delete SEC. 2. end delete

begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

Section 14005.276 is added to the Welfare and
Institutions Code, to read:

begin delete

14005.276.  

(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

end delete

begin insert

begin insert 14005.276. end insert   

end insert

begin insert (a) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert By October 1, 2017, the department shall report
to the Legislature on progress towards the end insert goal of raising the
Denti-Cal utilization rate among eligible child beneficiaries to 60
percent or begin delete greater. end delete begin insert greater and identify a date by which the
department projects this utilization goal will be met. The
department may include in the report any recommendations for
legislative consideration that would assist the department in
meeting the goal by the specified date, and, if applicable, shall
engage relevant stakeholders in the development of those
recommendations. end insert

begin insert

(b) (1) A report submitted pursuant to this section shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.

end insert begin insert

(2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this
section is repealed on January, 1, 2021.

end insert begin delete

(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.

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

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

(1) The state dental director.

(2) Seven 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.

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

(D) A representative of the California Society of Pediatric
Dentistry.

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

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

(3) A maternal and child health advocate, appointed by the
Senate Committee on 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.

(4) A consumer advocate, appointed by the Speaker of the
Assembly, with experience in adult dental health.

(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 advisory group 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.

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

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

(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.

end delete