Dentistry: general anesthesia: health care coverage.

The Dental Practice Act provides for the licensure and regulation of dentists by the Dental Board of California. The act governs the use of general anesthesia, conscious sedation, and oral conscious sedation for pediatric and adult patients. The act makes it unprofessional conduct for any dentist to fail to obtain the written informed consent of a patient prior to administering general anesthesia or conscious sedation. With respect to a minor, the act also requires that the written informed consent include a specified statement that, among other things, encourages the parent or guardian to explore all the options available for a child's anesthesia for his or her dental treatment. This bill would revise the required written informed consent statement, applicable for minors, to specify that it is required in the case of general anesthesia. The bill would also revise the content of that statement to require it to include a provision to encourage exploring nonsurgical dental treatment options, as specified. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and make a willful violation of that act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of policies of disability insurance by the Insurance Commissioner. Existing law provides that specified health care service plan contracts and disability insurance policies and certificates are deemed to cover general anesthesia and associated facility charges for dental procedures, upon specified authorization for enrollees or insureds under 7 years of age, enrollees or insureds who are developmentally disabled, or enrolles or insureds whose health is compromised and for whom general anesthesia is medically necessary, if certain other conditions are present. Under existing law, these provisions apply to those procedures rendered in a hospital or surgery center. This bill, with respect to contracts or policies issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2019, would remove the language that limits coverage to procedures rendered in a hospital or surgery center. Because a willful violation of that requirement by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.