Bill > SB217

This bill, known as the Rural Dental Incentive and Access Program Act, aims to improve dental care access in rural Kentucky by expanding the Healthcare Worker Loan Relief Program, establishing new grant opportunities, and increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates. Specifically, it increases the maximum loan repayment awards for dentists under the Healthcare Worker Loan Relief Program, offering an additional $100,000 for those practicing in areas without an actively practicing dentist, and provides up to $150,000 in rural dental practice grants for dentists in federally designated health professional shortage areas to cover equipment, renovation, or staffing costs. The bill also mandates that the Kentucky Board of Dentistry create a Rural Dental Fellows Network to support dentists through stipends, mentorship, and telehealth, and requires the Department for Medicaid Services to increase its reimbursement rates by 25% for dental services in these underserved areas, with a state-funded unit to assist with credentialing and billing. Significant appropriations are allocated to fund these initiatives, including $4.4 million annually to the Center of Excellence in Rural Health for loan repayment and grants, $600,000 annually to the Board of Dentistry for the fellows network, and $1 million annually to the Department for Medicaid Services for increased reimbursement rates, all for the 2026-2028 fiscal biennium. The bill also requires more detailed reporting on the loan relief program's impact on dentists and dentistry practices, and these expanded provisions are set to expire on July 1, 2036, unless extended by the General Assembly.

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb217.html