Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 83 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide a special licensing procedure for safety net dental providers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai'i Primary Care Association. Testimony in opposition was received from the Hawaii Dental Association and thirteen private citizens. The Board of Dental Examiners submitted comments.

This measure is an attempt to balance the protection of the public health and safety against the need to provide more dental services to those who cannot afford to pay for dental services. The target population is the uninsured, QUEST recipients, children living in remote rural areas who cannot afford dental services, and adults who cannot otherwise afford dental services. Your Committee believes that professional protectionism sometimes has to yield to the greater good of society.

This measure, as amended, provides much needed dental services to a population that is currently underserved or unserved, for whom services are known as the safety net. Your Committee is particularly concerned about the dental health of children living in remote rural areas of the Neighbor Islands who suffer from deplorable dental health. Simply stated, there is a lack of dentists willing to take QUEST or Medicaid reimbursements. This measure would increase the number of dentists who take those kinds of cases.

Your Committee has amended this measure by replacing the new section establishing a special licensing procedure with amendments to section 448-12, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to provide for the issuance of temporary licenses to any resident or nonresident who practices solely under the auspices of a safety net dental provider. The measure, as amended, also extends the period of a temporary license from 396 days to two years, and allows a person to fail the dental licensing exam twice while practicing for a safety net dental provider.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 83, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 83, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing.