President’s Message

ToothTalk Jacqueline Plemons

DDS, MS

87th Texas Legislature—A Record Year

As most of you know, the 87th Texas Legislature began on January 12, 2021, and runs through May 31. Actual bill filing ended on March 12 with a total of 7,000 bills being filed—the third highest number in Texas history. While COVID-19 may have initially slowed the overall legislative process, it did not delay the activities of our TDA legislative team in any way. In fact, the team has been more targeted and strategic than ever in representing issues important to Texas dentists.

“Appearing” busy and being productive are sometimes 2 very different things. It’s often the “behind-the-scenes” efforts that bring compromise and opportunities for real change. From backyard visits to regular COVID screening and testing in advance of often limited in-person meetings, the team has adapted to our “new world.” The process may

have started more slowly than usual, but that is certainly not the case for our legislative and regulatory team!

The TDA is currently tracking over 400 bills which can affect dentistry. Our approved legislative agenda this session includes:

• Teledentistry • Insurance issues (network leasing and retroactive denials) • Access to oral health care (Dental Education Loan

Repayment Program and funding and administration of Texas public health dental programs including Medicaid and CHIP) • Support of dental school and

Texas State Board of Dental

Examiners funding • Preserving dentists’

independent professional judgement in dental practice models • Protecting Texas dental patients in scope of practice issues

Here a few highlights of issues that are receiving much attention from our legislative team at the Texas Capitol right now!

TDA’s insurance bill (HB 1934) has been filed by House Insurance Committee Chair Representative Tom Oliverson (R–Houston). The bill is aimed at state-regulated dental insurers and will help create transparency in network leasing laws by insuring that dentists can review contracts before participating in a leased, sold, or rented network. It also requires reasonable procedures and time frames for insurance companies to follow in payment recovery efforts. A committee substitute was voted favorably out of the House Insurance Committee and continues to work its way through the legislature.

Currently there are 2 teledentistry bills being considered by the House Public Health Committee. Representative Stephanie Klick (R–Fort Worth), chair of the House Public Health Committee, filed a companion bill (HB 2056) to Senate Health and Human Services Committee Vice-Chair Senator Charles Perry’s (R–Lubbock) teledentistry legislation (SB 488). The second teledentistry bill currently being considered by the House Public Health Committee (HB 1742) was filed by House Public Health Committee Vice Chair Representative Bobby Guerra (D–Mission). The TDA legislative team remains in active discussion with bill authors and other stakeholders to ultimately negotiate a bill that aligns with TDA’s teledentistry policy supporting the same standard of care whether patients are receiving dental treatment in person or via a teledentistry platform. Current standard of care requires Texas dentists, at a minimum, on an annual basis, to document findings from a tactile and visual clinical examination of the soft and hard tissues of the patient’s oral cavity.

TDA successfully worked with Representative Tom Oliverson (R–Houston) who ultimately amended his medical billing tax legislation to specifically include dental insurance claims in the sales tax exclusion for medical billing services. The bill was voted unanimously out of the House and favorably out of the Senate Finance Committee as of April 12.

Our legislative team drives the dayto-day efforts during a Legislative session, but our grassroots efforts are often successful in using relationships between people to bring opportunities for change and progress. Be sure to watch your emails for calls to action allowing you to communicate your view on TDA issues directly to your legislators via Voter Voice!