The Illinois legislature recently advanced several bills affecting dentistry, addressing workforce shortages, equity and reimbursements.
Several of the bills were backed by the Illinois State Dental Society, according to a May 10 news release.
Four notes:
1. The state's Senate and House passed a bill requiring health insurers to cover services for children with craniofacial anomalies up until the age of 19. It is awaiting Gov. J.B. Pritzker's signature, after which it will go into effect Jan. 1, 2024.
2. A $10 million increase in reimbursement rates was approved for the state's dental Medicaid program. The increase applies to dental services provided to adults and children covered under Medicaid. The bill has been signed and will go into effect Jan. 1, 2023.
3. The House and Senate passed a bill to address workforce shortages in the state. The bill would expand dental assistants' existing ability to perform coronal scaling and would allow a licensed dentist to use teledentistry to examine a patient in a long-term care facility. Dental hygienists would also be able to provide limited dental care to a patient in these facilities who a licensed dentist has examined in the last 45 days, and the bill would allow public health hygienists to work in a nursing home if they have a collaborative agreement with a dentist. Once signed into law, the bill would go into effect Jan. 1, 2023.
4. The state legislature passed a bill that will charge the Illinois Department of Public Health with developing a loan repayment program for healthcare workers. The program, which would include dentists, would encourage healthcare providers to practice in areas of greatest need as determined by disparity data. The bill is awaiting signature from Mr. Pritzker.