Government Relations
There are other bills pending that will need to be reintroduced during the next session .
• PDA joined forces with other oral health stakeholders , including the Pennsylvania Coalition of Oral Health , to lobby for HB 1417 , legislation that would have required the state to restore comprehensive dental services for adult Medicaid patients and eliminated the need for the current Benefit Limit Exceptions process that has proven cumbersome for dentists . This bill passed the House of Representatives earlier this year but did not move in the Senate .
• Two bills that failed to move would have added Pennsylvania to a licensing compact with other states , allowing more freedom of movement for dentists and dental hygienists . One bill would have Pennsylvania adopt a model from the Council on State Governments , and the other would have adopted the model introduced by the American Association of Dental Boards .
• A bill that empowers the Commonwealth ’ s professional licensing boards to render advisory opinions related to an act or regulations that are germane to each respective board failed to move out of committee in the House . We had expressed support for HB 1364 in a letter to the House Professional Licensure Committee , explaining that dentists are practicing in good faith but sometimes have difficulty understanding and interpreting regulations from the State Board of Dentistry .
• PDA participated in several stakeholder meetings regarding legislation that requires dental insurers to report their respective dental loss ratios ( DLR ) to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department ( PID ). Representatives for the dental insurers are generally supportive of reporting requirements but are steadfast in their opposition to the Commonwealth establishing a specific DLR and a requirement that they issue rebates to patients if the DLR is unmet . HB 1457 did not move from committee .
• A bill requiring health and dental insurers to streamline the credentialing process also did not move out of committee in the House . This bill would have required insurers to credential complete applications within 45 days , require them to notify applicants of incomplete applications within 10 days of receipt , and automatically credential all practice locations for an applicant .
8 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL