As we wrap up another legislative session in Kentucky, KOHC is reflecting on the wins and missed opportunities for oral health. KOHC members voted to prioritize four legislative agenda items in 2024, each with plenty of legislative action and implications for more work to be done.
For many years, KOHC has actively worked to protect community water fluoridation and this year was no different. House Bill 141 would have allowed local entities to opt out of fluoridating their water supply, a change that would be costly to both the oral health of Kentuckians and the state Medicaid budget. Although this bill was able to advance out of the State Government Committee, it did not receive a vote on the House floor and KOHC’s member advocacy played an important role in ensuring this did not advance further.
Following the dental benefit expansion in 2023, KOHC continued to closely monitor the status of this change and protect current oral health services covered in the Medicaid program. Although Senate Bill 65 was passed, which nullified the emergency regulations associated with the expansion, the ordinary regulations went into effect earlier this year and continue to be active and permanent.
As part of our efforts to support the dental workforce following the expansion of benefits, KOHC advocated to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for dental providers. After decades of stagnant rates, the 2024 legislative session presented an opportunity for increased investments in Medicaid using the state’s unprecedented spending surplus. Although early versions of the budget in House Bill 6 did include specific dollar allocations for dental rate increases, the final budget allocated a lump sum to the Department for Medicaid Services (DMS) for discretionary spending as part of House Bill 1. This final result means KOHC and oral health advocates have more work to do to ensure DMS uses some of this allocation for dental rate increases.
As part of our efforts to improve oral health outcomes in Kentucky, KOHC advocated for policies that would reduce youth initiation of tobacco and nicotine products. House Bill 11 emerged as a frontrunner that had momentum and included important elements to enforce tobacco-21 law at the point of sale. But amendments made to this bill throughout the session weakened the language related to underage sales and left advocates wondering why the focus was moved away from protecting kids. As we look ahead, there is continued work to be done to better protect kids from the harmful effects of vaping.
KOHC thanks all our members and advocates from across the state for supporting efforts to advance oral health outcomes and equity in Kentucky. We look to you for continued work to ensure implementation of recently enacted legislation helps to reach our goals of improving oral health across the Commonwealth.
