MEDICAID: Requires Medicaid to cover dental procedures for certain Medicaid enrollees (EN +$784,370 GF EX See Note)

Healthcare

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Stephanie Berault
Last action: 2026-06-02
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 629
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Medicaid Dental Coverage for Louisiana

This act requires Medicaid to cover dental procedures when they are medically necessary before a person can receive other medical care covered by Medicaid.

What This Bill Does

Requires Medicaid to pay for dental work if it is medically necessary before someone can get another type of medical treatment that Medicaid covers.
Tells the Louisiana Department of Health to make changes in its rules and plans so that Medicaid will cover these dental procedures.
Allows the department to do what is needed to follow this new rule.

Who It Names or Affects

People who are enrolled in Medicaid and need dental work before getting other medical care covered by Medicaid.

Terms To Know

Medicaid: A government program that helps pay for health care for people with low income or disabilities.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): The federal agency that oversees the Medicaid program in each state.

Limits and Unknowns

This act only covers dental procedures needed before other medical care covered by Medicaid.
It does not specify how much it will cost or who will pay for these changes.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Summary of Senate Amendments to HB222

Filed

Plain English: The amendment makes a technical change to HB222, which requires Medicaid to cover dental procedures for certain enrollees when those procedures are medically necessary.

Makes a technical change to the bill.

The exact nature of the technical change is not specified in the provided text.

Fiscal Note - HB222 Engrossed With Senate Cmte Amendments

Filed

Plain English: Filed 4

The official amendment file could not be read automatically during the last sync, so only the official amendment metadata is shown right now.

House Vote on HB 222 CONCUR IN SENATE AMENDMENTS (#1669)

Filed

Plain English: The amendment to HB222 requires Medicaid to cover dental procedures for certain enrollees and includes funding adjustments.

Medicaid will be required to provide coverage for specific dental procedures for eligible recipients.
Funding is adjusted by an additional $784,370 General Fund Expenditure (GF EX) as noted in the bill.

The exact details of which dental procedures and enrollees are covered are not specified in this amendment text.
Further specifics about how the funding will be allocated or managed are not provided here.

Senate Committee Amendment #3305 H&W Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: SCAHB222 3005 3305 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed House Bill No.

SCAHB222 3005 3305 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed House Bill No.
222 by Representative Berault 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, line 9, change "will" to "shall" Page 1 of 1

Senate Committee Amendment #3261 H&W Draft

Draft

Plain English: SCAHB222 3005 3261 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed House Bill No.

SCAHB222 3005 3261 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to Engrossed House Bill No.
222 by Representative Berault 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, line 9, change "will" to "shall" Page 1 of 1

Bill History

2026-06-02 H
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
2026-06-02 H
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 629.
2026-06-01 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-06-01 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-31 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-29 H
Read by title, roll called, yeas 94, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.
2026-05-27 H
Scheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.
2026-05-26 H
Received from the Senate with amendments.
2026-05-25 S
Rules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 38 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-05-20 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-05-19 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-05-18 S
Reported favorably.
2026-05-07 S
Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.
2026-05-07 S
Senate Committee amendments read and adopted.
2026-05-06 S
Reported with amendments.
2026-04-28 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
2026-04-27 S
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-04-27 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 99, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-04-23 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/27/2026.
2026-04-22 H
Read by title, ordered reengrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-04-21 H
Reported favorably (13-0).
2026-03-26 H
Read by title, ordered engrossed, recommitted to the Committee on Appropriations.
2026-03-25 H
Reported favorably (8-0).
2026-03-09 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
2026-02-20 H
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/20/2026.
2026-02-19 H
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
2026-02-19 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

MEDICAID: Requires Medicaid to cover dental procedures for certain Medicaid enrollees (EN +$784,370 GF EX See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
ACT No. 6292026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 222
BY REPRESENTATIVES BERAULT, ADAMS, BACALA, BOUDREAUX, BRAUD,
BUTLER, CARRIER, WILFORD CARTER, CARVER, CHASSION, COX,
DEWITT, EGAN, FISHER, GLORIOSO, GREEN, CHANCE HENRY, HILFERTY,
JACKSON, MIKE JOHNSON, TRAVIS JOHNSON, KNOX, LAFLEUR, TERRY
LANDRY, LYONS, MACK, MARCELLE, MARTINEZ, MOORE, MURRAY,
OWEN, PHELPS, STAGNI, TAYLOR, WALTERS, WYBLE, AND ZERINGUE
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 40:1259.3, relative to Medicaid coverage; to require Medicaid coverage for
3 dental procedures in certain circumstances; to require the Louisiana Department of
4 Health to take certain administrative actions; to provide for a state plan amendment;
5 to provide for administrative rules; and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 40:1259.3 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 §1259.3. Medicaid coverage for dental procedures in certain circumstances
9 A. The Louisiana Medicaid program shall cover a dental procedure for a
10 Medicaid enrollee if the procedure is medically necessary in order for the patient to
11 be cleared to receive another Medicaid-covered medical procedure.
12 B. Pursuant to this Section, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of
13 Health shall do all of the following:
14 (1) Submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services all necessary
15 state plan amendments.
16 (2) Promulgate all necessary rules and regulations in accordance with the
17 Administrative Procedure Act.
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 222 ENROLLED
1 (3) Take any other actions as are necessary to implement the provisions of
2 this Section.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 2 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.