An Act To Create Greater Cost Efficiency and Improve Health Outcomes by Incorporating Increased Access to Dental Services for Adults through MaineCare's Care Management and Coordination Initiatives
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1749
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: GATTINE, CRAVEN, CASSIDY, FARNSWORTH, STUCKEY
Amends: 22 MRSA §3174-F

Legislative Document 
No. 1749 
H.P. 1256 
House of Representatives, January 28, 2014 
An Act To Create Greater Cost Efficiency and Improve Health 
Outcomes by Incorporating Increased Access to Dental Services for 
Adults through MaineCare's Care Management and Coordination 
Initiatives 
(EMERGENCY) 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative GATTINE of Westbrook. 
Cosponsored by Senator CRAVEN of Androscoggin and 
Representatives: CASSIDY of Lubec, FARNSWORTH of Portland, STUCKEY of Portland. 
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, the cost of providing care for acute dental conditions to MaineCare 
members has a tremendous negative impact on the MaineCare budget and this legislation 
needs to take effect before the expiration of the 90-day period to lessen that impact; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore, 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3174-F, sub-§1, ¶D, as amended by PL 1997, c. 159, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
D.  Treatment necessary to relieve pain, eliminate infection or prevent imminent 
tooth loss; and 
Sec. 2.  22 MRSA §3174-F, sub-§1, ¶F, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 159, §2, is 
amended to read: 
F.  Other dental services, including full and partial dentures, medically necessary to 
correct or ameliorate an underlying medical condition, if the department determines 
that provision of those services will be cost-effective in comparison to the provision 
of other covered medical services for the treatment of that condition.; and 
Sec. 3.  22 MRSA §3174-F, sub-§1, ¶G is enacted to read: 
G.  Preventive and restorative dental services necessary to treat oral health conditions 
if: 
(1)  Those services are referred by an individual's home health care provider or 
other provider approved by the department; and 
(2)  The home health care provider or other provider determines the provision of 
those services is necessary to prevent the need for more costly care. 
Sec. 4.  Rulemaking.  The Department of Health and Human Services shall adopt 
routine technical rules pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A to implement the provisions in Title 22, section 3174-F, subsection 1, 
paragraph G no later than July 1, 2014. 
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect June 1, 2014. 
SUMMARY 
This bill builds upon Department of Health and Human Services MaineCare 
initiatives to better coordinate care and to reduce health care costs by allowing 
MaineCare coverage of preventive or restorative dental services to persons 21 years of 
age and older when department-authorized care coordination entities determine that the 
provision of those services is cost-effective.