HB 4 (formerly HB 692) Medicaid Adult Dental Benefit

Important:  A public hearing on SB 754 (establishing a dental benefit under the state Medicaid program) is scheduled for March 3, 2020 at 2:45 PM at the Legislative Office Building – Room 101, 33 North State Street, in Concord. SB754  requires the DHHS Commissioner to solicit information and to contract with dental managed care organizations to provide dental care under the Medicaid managed care program.

Background: On July 19, 2019, the Governor signed into law HB 692 instructing the Department of Health and Human Services to prepare a plan for the implementation of an adult dental benefit into a value-based care platform.

In his July 22nd press release, Governor Sununu stated,  “For the first time in New Hampshire history, we are taking steps to create access to quality oral health care for adults with disabilities on Medicaid and other Medicaid recipients. Dental health is directly tied to overall physical health. This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a comprehensive plan to ensure that Medicaid recipients can safeguard their smiles – and their overall health.”

Note: The  current Medicaid adult dental benefit is limited to the treatment of infection and severe pain, as a result most Medicaid recipients are unable to maintain good dental health.

On September 26, 2019, New Hampshire the Department of Health and Human Services convened the first public working group session, per HB 692 (Ch. 268, Laws of 2019), to establish a public planning process for the development of an implementation plan to incorporate an adult dental benefit into a value-based care platform within the New Hampshire Medicaid Care Management Program.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services setup a Web page specific to the activities of the HB4 Working Group.

Upcoming Meetings

  • To be Announced

Resources
Meeting documents, minutes and resources will be posted on  https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/ombp/medicaid/hb692/index.htm.  
Correspondence email: HB692AdultDental@dhhs.nh.gov.

Meeting Materials (documents are posted on the DHHS site and are listed here and linked as a convenience for our members.)

Resources

The Journal of Dental Hygiene, Vol. 92, No. 6, Released December 2018
Access to Preventive Oral Health Services for Homebound Populations: A pilot program
Patricia Crete, RDH, MS; Linda D. Boyd, RDH, RD, EdD;
Joan K. Fitzgerald, CPHDH, BS; Lisa M. LaSpina, RDH, MS

DentaQuest – Keys to Success – Released in May 2018
Value-Based Care
by Danielle Apostolon, Senior SNS Project Manager

National Association of Dental Plans –  Released Nov 23, 2017
ADP Analysis Shows Adults with Medicaid Preventive Dental Benefits Have Lower Medical Costs for Chronic Conditions

Singhal, A. et al. – Health Affairs – 34 NO. 5 (2015): 749–756 Released in May 2015
Eliminating Medicaid Adult Dental Coverage In California Led To Increased Dental Emergency Visits And Associated Costs