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Committee adopts amendment and lays over bill to update dental fee schedule
Summary
Vice Chair Reyer moved House File 4401 and the committee adopted a D3 amendment to implement recommended dental rate methodology (update to 2024 charges, 50th‑percentile benchmark with inflation factor, 20% critical access add‑on); the bill was laid over for further fiscal review.
Vice Chair Reyer moved House File 4401 on April 15 and the committee adopted the D3 amendment to implement a new dental payment-rate methodology developed by the dental access work group.
Reyer told members the bill would update Minnesota’s dental fee schedule to reflect 2024 submitted charges, replace the obsolete 1989 base, and establish a rate-setting methodology that uses the 50th percentile of 2024 charges with an inflationary factor and a biennial update cycle. The proposal preserves a 20% add-on for critical access dental providers and is intended to be budget neutral; a fiscal note was requested.
Dan Murphy, director of government affairs for the Minnesota Dental Association, urged the committee to support the measure and stressed that current fee‑for‑service rates "are based on 1989 charges" and have not kept pace with costs. Murphy said the update is "step 1" toward improving dentist participation and protecting access for Medicaid and MinnesotaCare members.
After testimony, questions from members focused on the work group's status and the likely financial impact on critical access and private practice dentists. Staff and proponents said the rate update was the first step and that additional investment may be required for a successful transition. The committee laid the bill over for additional review and to allow a requested fiscal note to be completed.
