Report Title:

Dental Care

 

Description:

Appropriates funds to the department of health, district health offices, to provide dental care on Kauai, Hawaii, and Maui. (HB2025 HD1)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2025

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR NEIGHBOR ISLAND DENTAL CARE.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that dental care services are an important component to improve the overall health and well-being of individuals in Hawaii. According to the Oral Health 2001 Report completed by the Oral Health Task Force, five key challenges were identified from data obtained on oral health in Hawaii. One of the challenges identified was neighbor island disparities and access. The report noted that certain geographic areas in the State have acute shortages of dentists (Primary Care Needs Assessment Data Book, Department of Health Family Health Services Division, 1999), a high poverty rate, inadequate or no insurance, and Medicaid/QUEST coverage (an indication of poverty). The report further indicated that the neighbor islands have a high proportion of uninsured residents and a low proportion of dentists. While twenty-one per cent of the residents of the city and county of Honolulu are uninsured for dental services or are covered by Medicaid or QUEST, neighbor island counties’ rates range from twenty-six per cent to thirty-three per cent. With the lower rate of dentists and higher rate of individuals uninsured, the neighbor islands are faced with additional challenges regarding access to dental care.

The legislature further finds that the counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui have formed oral health task forces to address oral health issues specific to their needs.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to the counties of Kauai, Hawaii, and Maui through the department of health's district health offices, to address their unique oral health care needs.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2002-2003 for the provision of dental care services for the counties of Kauai, Hawaii, and Maui.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health, district health offices.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2002.