Provides for special licensing for dentists employed by or volunteering for safety net dental providers without taking the Hawaii examination, provided that such dentists have passed the national Board of Dental Examiners examination and a state or regional examination approved by the board of dental examiners.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. Hawaii has considerable unmet oral health needs. Our children have some of the worst rates of dental decay and baby bottle tooth decay in the nation. The unmet dental treatment needs of Native Hawaiian, Southeast Asian, Filipino, and Pacific Islander children range between forty and sixty-three percent. Although Hawaii has a high ratio of practicing dentists, it has one of the lowest participation rates in the Medicaid program. This results in serious access barriers to children covered by Medicaid or QUEST.

The legislature finds that over three hundred thousand Hawaii residents have no dental insurance and little money to pay for care. Moreover, low-income adults enrolled in Medicaid or QUEST do not have coverage for basic dental care. Elders covered by Medicare also do not enjoy dental benefits. Hawaii's pre-paid health care act does not require employer-sponsored health plans to offer dental benefits.

In addition, neighborhood island communities have the greatest oral health disparities, highest ratios of residents who are uninsured or covered by Medicaid or QUEST, and the lowest ratio of dentists to population.

The legislature further finds that safety net dental providers are extremely important to address Hawaii's unmet oral health needs. However, it is very difficult to provide adequate incentives to recruit dentists as employees or volunteers, especially on neighbor islands.

The purpose of this Act is to amend dental licensing provisions to allow dentists who have not yet passed the Hawaii board of dental examiners examination to work or volunteer for safety net providers; provided that they have passed the national board of dental examiners examination and another state or regional examination approved by the board of dental examiners.

SECTION 2. Chapter 448, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§ 448- Special license for safety net dental providers. (a) Notwithstanding sections 448-2 and 448-3 to the contrary, a dentist, who has passed parts I and II of the examination of the National Board of Dental Examiners and another out-of-state or regional dental board examination approved by the board of dental examiners, shall be allowed to practice dentistry in this state as an employee or volunteer for a safety net dental provider; provided that the dentist obtains a special license from the board of dental examiners.

(b) The board of dental examiners shall establish a procedure to issue a special license to a dentist to practice as an employee or volunteer for a safety net dental provider. The board of dental examiners, the department of health dental health division, and the Hawaii Primary Care Association shall determine which out-of-state or regional board dental examination shall meet the requirements for the special license.

(c) For purposes of this section, "safety net dental provider" means an organization that: