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2012 SESSION

12105380D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 50
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Rules
on February 10, 2012)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Barker)
Directing the Joint Commission on Health Care to study the fiscal impact to the Commonwealth that results from untreated dental disease. Report.

WHEREAS, it is a well-accepted principle that there is a direct correlation between oral health care and overall health care, including the adverse effects of lack of preventive oral health care; and

WHEREAS, there are numerous chronic and acute health maladies that are related to poor access to oral health care, including but not limited to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature births, and low birth weight babies; and

WHEREAS, these maladies not only have severe adverse impacts on the well-being of the residents of the Commonwealth, they also result in (i) major costs to the Commonwealth in the form of payments to treat general health maladies and severe dental disease that could have been prevented through preventive oral health care at a fraction of the cost; (ii) lost work and school hours related to pain and disease; and (iii) expense to the Commonwealth in the form of uncompensated care; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Joint Commission on Health Care be directed to study the fiscal impact to the Commonwealth that results from untreated dental disease.

In conducting its study, the Joint Commission on Health Care shall estimate (i) the payments made by Virginia’s Medicaid program to hospital emergency departments for dental-related diagnoses; (ii) the amount of uncompensated care provided by hospital emergency departments for dental-related diagnoses; and (iii) the number of dental patients treated and the overall value of the dental-related services provided by Virginia’s safety net providers, including but not limited to Free Clinics, Community Health Centers, and local health departments.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Joint Commission for this study, upon request.

The Joint Commission on Health Care shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2012, and for the second year by November 30, 2013, and the Chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly for each year. Each executive summary shall state whether the Joint Commission on Health Care intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.