Senator Reinert And Representative Norton Introduce Dental Legislation

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Minnesota Dental Association commends Senator Roger Reinert (Duluth) and Representative Kim Norton (Rochester) for authoring a bill introduced on Thursday that would positively impact Medical Assistance (MA) patient access to care.

The bill, Senate File 302 and House File 408, would update MA base reimbursement rates to 75% of the 2011 median dental fee schedule.  The reimbursement rate has not been updated for nearly 15 years.

"The proposed legislation would bring dental fee reimbursement rates in line with current dental fee schedules," stated Dr. Michael Flynn, President of the Minnesota Dental Association.  "The current rate of reimbursement for MA providers is based on the 1989 fee schedule, which is woefully inadequate for providers striving to meet the needs of Minnesota's public program patients."

The Minnesota Dental Association's top legislative priority is making sure that every Minnesotan has access to quality dental care and is committed to finding workable, bipartisan solutions to eliminate the barriers to care faced by the underserved population in our state.  This legislation is a step toward repairing a broken system as dental providers prepare for thousands of new MA patients entering the system under the Affordable Care Act.

The Minnesota Dental Association is the voice of dentistry in Minnesota, representing 78% of practicing dentists.  It is committed to the highest standards of oral health and access to care for all Minnesotans. Learn more at: www.mndental.org. 

SOURCE Minnesota Dental Association