Bill > H1179

This bill proposes to establish a new commonwealth dental access program that would provide standalone dental insurance plans to Massachusetts residents who do not qualify for existing health insurance options under federal law (specifically those who do not meet the definition of a "qualified individual" in 42 U.S.C. Section 18032). The program would be administered by a board and operate separately from the existing health insurance connector. The bill includes important privacy protections, stipulating that information about participants in this dental access program would be kept confidential and not considered a public record, with disclosures only allowed as required by federal law or authorized by regulations from the attorney general. The health insurance connector is required to develop and adopt regulations to implement this new dental access program, which aims to expand dental insurance coverage to individuals who might otherwise lack access to affordable dental care.