HF 4604

as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 04/28/2020 11:05am

A bill for an act
relating to health; establishing a grant program for dental clinics to operate and
provide emergency dental care.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin DENTAL CLINIC OPERATING GRANT PROGRAM.
new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of administration shall issue grants to dental clinics for the purpose
of ensuring that dental clinics are able to continue to operate their practices during the
declaration of a peacetime emergency in order to provide emergency dental care for patients
who might otherwise seek dental care at a hospital emergency department. The commissioner
shall prescribe the application and process for issuing the grants.
new text end

new text begin (b) To be eligible for a grant under this section during the period in which the peacetime
emergency is in effect, a dental clinic must agree to the following:
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new text begin (1) accept any patient in need of emergency dental services regardless of the patient's
financial limitations, public assistance, or insurance status; and
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new text begin (2) provide access to a dentist 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for emergency dental
services and must provide on the clinic's website a telephone number for patients to call in
an emergency.
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new text begin (c) Notwithstanding paragraph (b), clause (1), once a dental clinic has provided
unreimbursed emergency dental services to uninsured or underinsured patients that total an
amount that equals 50 percent of the grant amount received by the dental clinic based on
the dental clinic's usual and customary reimbursement rates, the dental clinic is no longer
required to accept patients who are uninsured or whose insurance coverage does not cover
the necessary emergency services.
new text end

new text begin (d) The amount of each grant shall not exceed $10,000 per clinic. If applications for
grants exceed the available appropriation, the commissioner shall give priority to dental
clinics that are eligible for critical access dental provider payments under Minnesota Statutes,
section 256B.76, subdivision 4.
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new text begin (e) Each grantee shall provide the commissioner with the number of patients the dental
clinic provided emergency services to during the peacetime emergency and a description
of the services provided within 60 days of the end of the peacetime emergency.
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new text begin (f) For purposes of this section, "peacetime emergency" means any peacetime emergency
declared by the governor in an executive order that relates to the COVID-19 disease outbreak.
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new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
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Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
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new text begin $10,000,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 2020 from the general fund to the commissioner
of administration to award as grants to dental clinics pursuant to section 1. This is a onetime
appropriation and is available until June 30, 2021.
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new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end