| Sec. 1. Study to increase access to dental services for children in the MaineCare program. |
Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services shall convene a |
broadly representative working group to study initiatives to increase |
access to dental services for children in the MaineCare program. In |
convening the working group, the department shall invite representatives |
of dentists, dental hygienists, MaineCare members, the MaineCare Advisory |
Committee, the Governor's Office of Health Policy and Finance and other |
interested parties. In the study, the working group shall review options |
for increasing access for children, including, but not limited to, |
increasing reimbursement to the provider of dental services for the first |
visit for a new patient, increasing reimbursement for providers of dental |
services who care for a large volume of MaineCare members, incentives for |
federally qualified health centers to provide or increase dental care and |
the possibility of the provider's directing MaineCare reimbursement to a |
deferred compensation or retirement plan. The department shall report on |
the results of the study by the working group by February 1, 2006 to the |
Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services. |