News from the Capitol

The Legislative Insider is published during the Legislative Session by the Georgia Dental Association. It contains updates on the activities of GDA's Government Affairs team as well as information about bills relevant to dentists and patient care.

DISPELLING MYTHS ABOUT BARRIERS TO CARE AND GA. HOUSE BILL 684

May 25, 2016
Commentary from Executive Director Frank Capaldo regarding HB 684 and the 2016 legislative session.

The Georgia Legislature recently considered a bill (HB 684) that would have purportedly allowed greater access to dental care for Georgians in safety-net settings by allowing dental hygienists to perform cleanings without requiring that a dentist be present or an exam be given.

Initially, the Georgia Dental Association opposed the bill. Subsequently, the association worked on amendments with the sponsor. After numerous negotiations, the GDA agreed to accept the amendments, and the bill passed out of the House Health and Human Services Committee.

Why did the GDA, after making suggestions for numerous amendments, change its position of support on the bill when it reached the Rules Committee? Simple -- at the end of the day, our member dentists could not compromise their first order of ethical care: to do no harm -- as would inevitably result from patients believing that a cleaning was the same as an exam.

Click here to read the rest of this commentary by GDA Executive Director Frank Capaldo published at Dr. Bicuspid.com (Scroll down to the Second Opinion article entitled Dispelling Myths About Barriers to Care and HB684. Free registration required.)