As we enjoy warmer days in the Commonwealth, Kentucky's legislature wrapped up another state budget session on April 15th. Among the nearly 1300 bills filed in Frankfort this year, there were several with components that focused on oral health, underscoring recent trends among Kentucky leaders to place emphasis on the importance of oral health.
Bills Impacting Oral Health and What Comes Next
HB2 is an expansive bill addressing Medicaid benefits in Kentucky passed, despite a veto from Governor Beshear, and includes several components that impact oral health access and care for Kentuckians.
- Many Medicaid members will be subject to more frequent renewals and data verification to confirm eligibility.
- Copays will be added to services for many Medicaid members, including $5 copays on medical services like dental care.
- The Department for Medicaid Services (DMS) will be required to hire a full-time dental director.
- Medicaid dental benefits will be transitioned away from the Managed Care Organization (MCO) model in 2029 to an Administrative Service Organization (ASO) model.
- What's Next: The provisions of House Bill 2 will be implemented over time as outlined in the bill. DMS will soon begin preparing to implement eligibility requirements and the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board (MOAB) will continue to assess the effectiveness of Medicaid delivery in Kentucky.
HB 776 makes a number of changes to the Dental Practice Act, including:
- Updating the Board of Dentistry makeup to reflect current dental education programs in the state.
- Requiring the Board of Dentistry to establish certain affiliations for licensure testing and provide liability insurance for Board and staff members.
- Permitting the Board of Dentistry to use certain funds to offer scholarships or loan repayment.
- Clarifying allowable services by hygienists without direct supervision of a dentist and extending the time frame from 7 months to 11 months without seeing a dentist that a hygienist can provide in-scope services.
- Removing statutory language prohibiting assistants from scaling and taking impressions.
- What's Next: The Board of Dentistry will continue to make needed regulatory changes to implement provisions of House Bill 776.
HB 500 is the two-year operating budget for the Executive Branch of government in Kentucky, which includes the Medicaid program.
- Included in House Bill 500 is $8 Million to address Medicaid dental reimbursement rates.
- What's Next: The bill specifies that the Technical Advisory Committee on Dental Care will be tasked with assessing dental service codes and making recommendations for rate increases.
In addition to the above bills which reached final passage in 2026, House Bill 103 and Senate Bill 55 were filed aiming to make community water fluoridation programs optional. With the help of dedicated advocates across the state, neither of these bills passed.
As we look ahead to the interim session this Summer and prepare for 2027, Kentucky Oral Health Coalition will continue to monitor the implementation of the bills passed in 2026 and identify priorities for 2027.
