GOVERNMENT RELATIONS continued
30-day temporary volunteer license per applicant , or up to three 10-day temporary volunteer licenses per applicant per year .
In April 2013 , HB 1056 unanimously passed the House of Representatives . This year , the bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and full Senate . Governor Corbett signed HB1056 into law in early February . The State Board of Dentistry must then promulgate regulations for how out-of-state dentists may apply for temporary licensure .
Assignment of Benefits ( SB 520 )
SB 520 would require all insurers to assign benefits directly to the provider , regardless of whether he or she is a participating provider . Sen . Kim Ward ( R-Westmoreland ) introduced this bill at PDA ’ s request , and it was assigned to the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee for first consideration . PDA participated in a series of meetings with Chairman Donald White ( R-Armstrong ) and lobbyists for various insurance organizations and companies . We made a compelling argument that SB 520 would improve access to care , particularly for children of divorced parents and for patients in rural areas . The insurance lobbyists were not able to articulate why assignment of benefits laws could work in other states but not Pennsylvania , nor were they able to produce any data substantiating their claim that this law would result in a decrease in network participation .
In October , PDA participated in another meeting with Senator White , his staff and the insurance lobbyists . At this meeting , legislative staffers asked PDA to accept an amendment to SB 520 . After careful consideration , the Board of Trustees voted not to support the amendment because of its potential of making it more difficult for dentists to obtain payment upfront from patients .
Unfortunately , SB 520 is now stalled in committee . PDA is now reassessing its strategy by reaching out to House members to ascertain the level of support for passing legislation in the House first .
Loan Forgiveness for Dentists ( HB 542 ) Rep . William Kortz ( D-Allegheny ) introduced HB 542 , legislation to establish the Loan Forgiveness for Dentists Program with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency ( PHEAA ) in order to increase the number of recent dental school graduates practicing in Pennsylvania . Under this program , PHEAA would forgive up to 50 percent of the dentist ’ s loan , not to exceed $ 100,000 . He or she would be subject to a four-year contract with the agency and the award would be forgiven over a four-year period at an
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