HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

135

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS ORAL HEALTH TASK FORCE TO RECONVENE TO ENCOURAGE dentists TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS COVERED by governmentally sponsored medical insurance programs.

 

WHEREAS, access to services that improve oral health is important to the overall health and well-being of individuals; and

WHEREAS, dental services for the indigent, especially individuals on the Neighbor Islands, are far too limited to meet the needs of the population; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Health (DOH) and some community health centers provide limited dental services for adults, but due to budget cutbacks, services have been discontinued or drastically reduced; and

WHEREAS, the refusal by many licensed dentists to provide dental services to patients who are covered under government-sponsored medical insurance programs, such as Medicaid and QUEST, defeats the purpose of those programs; and

WHEREAS, to continually deprive patients of much-needed dental services may be construed by some as being improper, unprofessional, or dishonorable conduct in the practice of dentistry; and

WHEREAS, in 2002 and 2003, the Hawaiian Islands Oral Health Task Force (Task Force) was convened by the DOH's Office of Planning, Policy and Program Development to:

(1) Address the problem of poor oral health in the uninsured, low-income adults and children, and disabled populations; and

(2) Provide a structure to address oral health issues for all people of Hawaii;

and

WHEREAS, the Task Force was comprised of representatives from various areas of government and the private sector, and was successful in determining priorities to provide for the oral health care needs of Hawaii's citizens; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the Senate concurring, that the Task Force is requested to reconvene for the purpose of encouraging more dentists to provide services to patients who are covered under government-sponsored medical insurance programs, and particularly to provide services to children; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force include, in addition to the members of the original Task Force, a representative of the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force also consider possible penalties or incentives to encourage dentists to serve patients covered by government-sponsored medical insurance programs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the 2005 Regular Session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Health, Director of Human Services, Chair of the Board of Dental Examiners, President of the Hawaii Dental Association, and Dean of the University of Hawaii School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene.

Report Title:

QUEST and Medicaid Dental Services