Florida Gov. Signs Bill That Creates New Health Care Workforce Programs and Expands Loan Repayment
On March 21, Gov. Ron DeSantis
(R) signed a bill that will create several new programs to support
the state’s health care workforce and also expand the state’s Dental Student
Loan Repayment Program. While not all the changes will directly impact oral health
professionals, many will. Summaries of those changes can be found below.
First, the legislation proposes multiple changes to the state’s
Dental Student Loan Repayment Program that include:
-
Expanding the program to include dental hygienists;
-
Expanding eligibility to include private dental practices that are located in dental
health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) as eligible practice locations for dentists and dental hygienists;
-
Requiring dentists and dental
hygienists who participate in the program to also volunteer 25 hours per year,
providing dental services in a free clinic that is located in a dental HPSA or
a medically underserved area, through another volunteer program operated by the
state—pursuant to part IV of chapter 110, or through a pro bono program approved
by the Florida Board of Dentistry;
-
Specifying that the annual award for a qualifying dentist or dental hygienist is
20% of his or her principal loan amount at the time that he or she applies for
the program, but may not be more than $50,000 per year for dentists or $7,500 per year for dental hygienists;
- Specifying that a dentist or
dental hygienist may receive up to five such awards and that the awards are not
required to be awarded in consecutive years;
-
Eliminating language that limits participants to no more than 10 per fiscal year;
-
Clarifying that the program
is meant to support the state’s Medicaid program; and
- Appropriating $8 million for the program for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
Secondly, the bill would also create a preceptor program known
as the Training, Education and Clinicals in Health (TEACH) funding program. The
program would provide a high-quality educational experience while supporting participating
federally qualified health centers, community mental health centers, rural health
clinics and certified community behavioral health clinics by offsetting administrative
costs and loss of revenue associated with training residents and students to become
licensed health care practitioners. Under the TEACH funding program, the Florida
Area Health Care Administration (AHCA) would be required to enter into an agreement
with qualified facilities that agree to provide appropriate supervision or precepting
of specified health care professionals, including dental residents, dental students
and dental hygiene students. Facilities that participate in the program are eligible
for hourly reimbursement rates of $50 for dental residents, $22 for dental students
and $15 for dental hygiene students.
Effective Oct. 1,
2024, the sums of $14,888,903 in recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund
and $20,036,979 in recurring funds from the Medical Care Trust Fund would be appropriated
to the Florida AHCA to provide a Medicaid reimbursement rate increase for dental care services.
Finally, the bill would also create the Dr. and Mrs. Alfonse
and Kathleen Cinotti Health Care Screening and Services Grant Program to fund
the provisions of no-cost health care screenings or services for the public by
nonprofit entities. Dental screenings are included among eligible expenses under the grant program.
West Virginia Governor Signs Bill Increasing Medicaid Spending Cap on Dentures
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) signed a bill that will increase the state’s Medicaid spending
cap for dentures. The annual cap will increase from $1,000 to $2,000 for adult
patients enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program.
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