04/12/2000 03:25 PM House L&C

HB 121-DENTAL CARE INSURANCE                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 0880                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG  announced that the next item  of business would                                                              
be HOUSE BILL NO. 121, "An Act relating  to patients' rights under                                                              
a health  care insurance plan  or contract providing  coverage for                                                              
dental  care, and  prohibiting certain  practices  by health  care                                                              
insurers relating to dental care."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HALCRO  made a motion to adopt the  proposed CS for                                                              
HB  121, Version  K  [1-LS0454\K, Ford,  4/12/00]  as the  working                                                              
document before the committee.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BRICE  objected and asked that it  be clarified for                                                              
the record whether Version K was the same as Version M.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
PATRICIA SWENSON, Staff to Representative  Con Bunde, Alaska State                                                              
Legislature,  testified  on behalf  of Representative  Bunde,  the                                                              
bill's sponsor.   She confirmed that  Version K and Version  M are                                                              
exactly alike.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BRICE withdrew his objection.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  ROKEBERG   declared  that  Version  K   was  before  the                                                              
committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Number 0919                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. SWENSON read:                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     HB  121  sets  out the  rights  of  dental  health  care                                                                   
     consumers.  This  bill specifically allows consumers  to                                                                   
     choose  any  dentist  they  wish  to   see  including  a                                                                   
     specialist,  prohibits   insurers  from  reimbursing   a                                                                   
     covered  person  at  a different  rate  because  of  the                                                                   
     person's  choice of  dentist, gives  covered people  the                                                                   
     right to receive  full information regarding their  care                                                                   
     options without  fearing adverse actions from  insurance                                                                   
     companies,  and allows  patients  to take  civil  action                                                                   
     against health  care insurers  to enforce their  rights,                                                                   
     and  requires  any  dental  treatment   plan  review  or                                                                   
     utilization review to be conducted by a dentist.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. SWENSON  said that is  what the bill  did last year,  and that                                                              
there  has been  some language  change this  year.   She asked  if                                                              
there was previous committee action that needed to be rescinded.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG said the committee  had adopted a [proposed] CS,                                                              
and asked her to proceed with reviewing the changes.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Number 1010                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. SWENSON said this bill seems  to satisfy the objections of the                                                              
labor  unions  and  "everybody  else involved  last  year."    The                                                              
changes were brought  to Representative Bunde.  She  had been told                                                              
that everybody has agreed to the changes and signed them.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. SWENSON explained  that the first change was  on page 2, lines                                                              
8 through 13.  This allows people  to choose a dentist outside the                                                              
plan  and the dentist  can  be reimbursed  at the  same rate  as a                                                              
provider  in  the  preferred  provider   organization  (PPO),  but                                                              
depending  on  the plan,  the  person may  have  to  pay a  higher                                                              
deductible because the dentist is not in the PPO.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS. SWENSON  said the next change  is on page 2, lines  24 through                                                              
26.  It says  a dentist who treats a covered person  may not waive                                                              
uncovered  dental  expenses for  which  the person  has  liability                                                              
because a covered person chooses  a dentist outside the network or                                                              
preferred  provider organization.   The  other changes, she  said,                                                              
are in the definitions section.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG observed that this is similar to another bill.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. SWENSON concurred.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  ROKEBERG explained  that this  is basically a  point-of-                                                              
service  provision that  allows  for a  slight  adjustment in  the                                                              
copayment.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Number 1170                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HALCRO moved to rescind  the committee's failure to                                                              
move HB 121  out of committee.   There being no objection,  it was                                                              
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HALCRO  again moved to adopt HB 121,  Version K, as                                                              
the  working  document  before  the committee.    There  being  no                                                              
objection, it was so ordered.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HALCRO made a motion  to move the CS for HB 121 out                                                              
of committee with individual recommendations  and the accompanying                                                              
(updated) fiscal notes.   There being no objection,  CSHB 121(L&C)                                                              
moved out of the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.