KDA Board Sets 2025 Legislative Priorities
The KDA OPPOSES dental therapy as it believes all Kansans, regardless of location or socio-economic status, deserves the services of a fully trained and licensed dentist. As such, the KDA OPPOSES all legislation designed to create a lesser trained non-dentist technician/therapist.
The KDA reaffirms its SUPPORT of “scaling assistants.“ The ability of experienced dental assistants to complete a training course of study approved by the Kansas Dental Board and scale teeth under the direct supervision (dentist present) of a dentist has been law in Kansas since 1998. These “scaling assistants” have been essential members of the dental team over the years and been even more important as ongoing post-COVID dental workforce shortage issues throughout the state have made it difficult for many dentists to round out their clinical staff.
The KDA SUPPORTS legislation designed to improve transparency of dental care and allows dentists to assist patients navigate their dental benefit plan coverages as follows:
- PURSUE Legislation which provides a mechanism for prior authorization approval in which dental insurers are obligated to follow.
- PURSUE legislation which limits the ability of an insurance carrier to later deny dental claims and limits an insurance carrier to retroactively deny a dental payment which has previously been paid to 180 days.
- PURSUE dental loss ratio legislation (DLR) which contains four basic components:
- Specific definitions which outline the formula for determining the DLR ratio and ensure dental insurers, whether stand-alone or embedded in medical plans, are included.
- Transparency which would require dental insurers to submit data to the Department of Insurance for public review.
- Authorized remediation and enforcement actions, including premium rebate, against dental insurers who fail to meet an established DLR of 85%.
- Rate Review by the Department of insurance.
- PURSUE legislation which would prohibit dental insurance carrier contracts from containing provisions allowing insurers to:
- Disallow payment for covered services; and
- Deny participating dentists from billing for and collecting amounts owed from the patient for medically necessary covered services that are disallowed.
- PURSUE legislation clarifying that dentists who choose to receive an alternative payment method from insurance carriers other than virtual credit card remains in effect throughout duration of the contract and any extension.
TREATMENT TRANSPARENCY AND PATIENT PROTECTION
The KDA SUPPORTS continuation of the 20% rule. Currently, KSA 65-1435 requires the dentist owner of a dental practice to physically be in each dental practice they own at least 20% of the time dentistry is being performed in that office or clinic. This requirement ensures oversight of the dental practice by owner dentists’ who ultimately are responsible for the quality and continuity of care for patients at the practices they own.
The KDA SUPPORTS updating the 1923 school screening statute (KSA 72-6251) by allowing dentists, supervised dental students, dental hygienists and, supervised dental hygiene students, to perform a non-diagnostic dental screening on grade school students. KDHE Bureau of Oral Health should provide uniform literature to school districts for students to take home to their parent/guardian explaining that the procedure was a limited visual screening to help identify the presence of apparent decay, previous dental experience (fillings and/or sealants), swelling and pain. Such literature should also include information that the dental screening does not preclude the need for a student to maintain regular dental checkups by a dentist.
TELEDENTISTRY
The KDA SUPPORTS Kansas Dental Board Stipulation Order 20-54 which states that the Kansas Dental Practice Act does not permit teledentistry in Kansas.
KANCARE
The KDA SUPPORTS efforts to increase KanCare dental reimbursement rates and provide better dental access to special needs patients.
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Kansas Legislature Elects its 2025-26 Leaders
On December 2, the members-elect of the 2025-26 Kansas Legislature met in Topeka to organize and elect their new leadership. In the House, Republicans returned most of their previous leadership team to office, including:
- Speaker Rep. Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita
- Speaker Pro Tem Rep. Blake Carpenter, R-Derby
- Majority Leader Rep. Chris Croft, R-Overland Park
- Majority Caucus Chair Rep Kristey Williams, R-Augusta
House Republican leadership changes included the election of Rep. Kyle Hoffman as House Assistant Majority Leader who will replace the late Rep. Les Mason, who died in June.
Rep. Nick Hoheisel, R-Wichita, ran unopposed to become the new House Majority Whip.
House Democrats elected Rep. Brandon Woodard, D-Lenexa, as the House Minority Leader. Woodward replaces outgoing Rep. Vic Miller who lost his election to move to the Senate. Other Democrat Leaders include:
Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Mike Amyx, D-Lawrence
Minority Agenda Chair Rep. Jerry Stogsdill, D-Prairie Village
Minority Whip Rep. Jo Ella Hoye, D-Lenexa,
Minority Policy Chair Rep. Dan Osman, D-Overland Park
Minority Caucus Chair Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence
In the Kansas Senate, Senate Republicans re-elected Sen. Ty Masterson, R-Andover, to Senate’s top post (Senate President), but the Republican made big changes across the leadership roster as follows:
Vice President Sen. Tim Shallenburger, R-Baxter Springs
Majority Leader Sen. Chase Blasi, R-Wichita
Assistant Majority Leader Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker
Majority Whip Sen. Rick Kloos, R-Berryton
The nine-person Senate Democratic Caucus elected Sen. Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, elected. Other leaders of the Senate Democrats are:
Assistant Minority Leader Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, D-Wichita
Minority Whip Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park
Caucus Chair Sen. Ethan Corson, D-Prairie Village
Agenda Chair Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence
