H. B. 4607
(By Delegates Ellem, D. Poling,
Azinger and Anderson)
[Introduced
February 22, 2010
; referred to the
Committee on Health and Human Resources then Finance.]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new article, designated §16-41A-1, §16-41A-2,
§16-41A-3, §16-41A-4, §16-41A-5, §16-41A-6, §16-41A-7,
§16-41A-8 and §16-41A-9, all relating to establishing the Oral
Health Pilot Program in the Mid-Ohio Valley Region; making
legislative findings; creating the pilot program for two
years; funding the program in the amount of $100,000 per year;
setting forth the services to be provided; setting forth the
fees to be paid to participating dentists; setting forth a
sliding scale for the fees to be paid by clients; requiring
reports be filed to the Governor and the Legislature; and
defining terms.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended
by adding thereto a new article, designated §16-41A-1, §16-41A-2, §16-41A-3, §16-41A-4, §16-41A-5, §16-41A-6, §16-41A-7, §16-41A-8
and §16-41A-9, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 41A. ORAL HEALTH PILOT PROGRAM IN THE MID-OHIO VALLEY
REGION.
§16-41A-1. Legislative findings.
(a) The Legislature of the State of West Virginia determines
and finds the State of West Virginia has a tremendous unmet need
for low-income adult dental care services. West Virginia ranks at
the top of the United States for adults that have lost all of their
natural teeth, periodontal disease is a bacterial infection that
affects three out of four people and tooth decay is a bacterial
infection that can be transmitted from person to person. There is
a connection between poor oral health and general health and poor
oral health can become a chronic infection, affecting the heart,
lungs, and can lead to diabetes and premature births. Most dental
disease can be prevented and poor oral health becomes an economic
issue when adults cannot work due to pain, infection and tooth
loss.
(b) The Legislature finds that large scale dental health
programs have been successful at treating West Virginians who would
otherwise not have dental health care. Successful oral health
programs, such as the Missions of Mercy, while helpful to many, are
neither financially nor logistically sustainable. To that end, the
Legislature concludes that it is in the best interest of the public to establish and fund a full-scale oral health program to address
the state's ongoing oral health problem.
§16-41A-2. Definitions.
For purposes of this article the following terms have the
following meanings:
(a) "Program" means the pilot oral health program administered
by the commission with the goal of improving the oral health of
citizens of West Virginia and evaluating the effectiveness of the
program.
(b) "MOVHD" refers to the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department in
Wood County, West Virginia.
(c) "Client" means a person whose income does not exceed two
hundred fifty percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and who
receives services of the program.
(d) "Participant" means an unpaid volunteer dentist offering
dental services as a part of the program.
(e) "Services" means assessments by a dental hygienist, dental
X rays, tooth restoration or other routine dental services
performed by a dentist.
§16-41A-3. Oral health pilot program.
In accordance with section one, article one, chapter sixteen
of this code, the Legislature establishes an pilot oral health
program in the MOVHD region to improve the oral health of the
citizens of West Virginia and to evaluate the effectiveness of that program.
§16-41A-4. Funding.
The Legislature funds the program in the amount of $100,000
each year for a two-year period beginning July 1, 2010.
§16-41A-5. Administration.
Money appropriated to the program shall be administered by
MOVHD. MOVHD is responsible for coordinating efforts with
participants, and reporting to the Governor and Legislature the
status and progress of the program. MOVHD is responsible for
administering the finances of the program.
§16-41A-6. Reimbursement to participants.
Participants will be reimbursed by MOVHD $40 per Client to
recover the cost of staff and supplies. Participants shall be
covered by the liability insurance policy of MOVHD.
§16-41A-7. Client fees.
MOVHD shall assess clients a fee for services performed
according to their income using the following sliding-scale:
(1) Clients who earn one hundred percent of the FPL and below
shall pay no fee;
(2) Clients who earn one hundred one percent to one hundred
fifty percent of the FPL shall pay twenty-five percent of the
fiftieth percentile fee for the geographic region;
(3) Clients who earn one hundred fifty-one percent to two hundred percent of the FPL shall pay fifty percent of the fiftieth
percentile fee for the geographic region.
(4) Clients who earn two hundred one percent to two hundred
fifty percent of the FPL shall pay seventy-five percent of the
fiftieth percentile fee for the geographic region.
§16-41A-8. Two-year duration of program.
The program shall be funded for two years, unless sooner
terminated by the Legislature, beginning on July 1, 2010.
§16-41A-9. Reports and recommendations.
The MOVHD shall report to the Governor and the Legislature on
the progress of the program, whether it should be continued or
discontinued, any recommended modifications in the program's scope
and mission and whether any action is necessary by the Legislature
to improve the success of the program. At the end of the pilot
program, MOVHD shall make a final report to the Governor and the
Legislature as to whether the goals of the program were met and
recommend whether or not the program shall be expanded statewide,
with specific recommendations for program support and
administration, development and other relevant policy issues.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish the Oral Health
Pilot Program in the Mid-Ohio Valley Region. The bill makes
legislative findings and creates the pilot program for two years.
The bill funds the program in the amount of $100,000 per year. The
bill sets forth the services to be provided, the fees to be paid to
participating dentists and the fees for clients. The bill requires
reports be filed to the Governor and the Legislature. The bill
also defines terms.
This article is new; therefore, it has been completely
underscored.