Establishes MOM Project oral health three-year pilot program in DOH; appropriates $4,150,000.

A1689

ASSEMBLY, No. 1689

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen McCoy, Speight, Assemblymen Sampson and
Venezia

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes MOM Project oral health three-year pilot
program in DOH; appropriates $4,150,000.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
establishing the MOM Project oral health
three-year
pilot
program in the DOH, and making an
appropriation.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� As used in this act:

���� �Community oral health center�
or �center� means the following in-State entities:� a federally qualified
health center, a dental home, or an acute care hospital licensed by the
Department of Health that provides dental services to individuals who reside in
a medically underserved area.

���� �Dental home� means a licensed
dental practice that administers services in manner that is accessible,
culturally-sensitive, and family-centered.� A �dental home� does not include a
licensed dental practice if less than 75 percent of the dental practice�s
patients are individuals who are low income and who reside in a medically
underserved area�

���� �Department� means the
Department of Health.

���� �Eligible mother� or �mother�
means a State resident who is pregnant, low-income, and not enrolled in,
eligible for, or determined presumptively eligible for coverage under any
Medicaid program.

���� �Low-income� means a gross
annual household income that is less than 300 percent of the federal poverty
level.

���� �Maternal and child health
consortium� or �consortium� means a nonprofit organization licensed as a
central service facility by the department, and incorporated under Section
501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code.

���� �Medically underserved area�
means an area designated by the federal Health Resources and Services
Administration as having too few primary care providers, a high rate of infant
mortality and poverty, and a disproportionately high share of elderly persons
in the population of the area.

���� �MOM Project� or �program�
means the MOM Project program established pursuant to section 3 of this act.

���� 2.��� The Legislature finds
and declares:�

���� a.���� Maternal periodontal
disease is linked to preterm birth and low birthweight.

���� b.��� Pregnant women with
chronic periodontal disease are seven times more likely to go into labor
prematurely.�

���� c.���� Treatment of
periodontal disease during pregnancy has been shown to be safe and effective.

���� d.��� The federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reports that 47 percent of American adults 30
years of age or older have periodontal disease, and between 60 percent and 75
percent of pregnant women have gingivitis, which can occur due to hormonal changes
during pregnancy.

���� e. �� According to the
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, early childhood cavities remain a
significant, but preventable public health problem.

���� f. High levels of cariogenic
bacteria in pregnant women can increase the risk of dental cavities in infants
or young children.

���� g. Pregnant women and
caregivers can implement preventive measures to decrease a child�s risk of
developing dental disease.

���� h.��� According to an article
published in the New England Journal of Medicine:

���� (1) the cost of dental care in
the U.S. has increased 30 percent in the past 20 years;

���� (2) in 2018, Americans paid
$55 billion in out-of-pocket dental expenses, which was more than 25 percent of
all health care out-of-pocket spending;

���� (3) dental and oral disease is
particularly burdensome to marginalized and chronically underserved
populations; and

���� (4) groups that have been most
affected by COVID-19 in the U.S. appear to be those groups with
disproportionately high rates of oral disease;

���� i. Pregnant women and women
who have recently given birth in medically underserved areas and people who
earn a low-income tend to lack access to dental care due to:

���� (1) lack of insurance coverage
for dental care services;

���� (2) the absence or shortage of
free or reduced-cost dental care services;

���� (3) language barriers; and

���� (4) fear due to immigration
status, discrimination, or bias related to racial or socio-economic status;

���� j.���� It is in the public
interest for the Legislature:

���� (1) to fund the MOM Project to
test and design a sustainable model for access to oral health education and
dental care for certain at-risk women who are pregnant or who recently have
given birth; and

���� (2) to collect data regarding
the effect of dental health care and education on health.

���� 3.��� There is established in
the Department of Health, the MOM Project three-year pilot program.�

���� a. The department shall
administer the program in conjunction with at least one maternal child health
consortium.� Within 90 days following the effective date of this act, each
participating consortium shall begin to provide the following program services:

���� (1) Each consortium shall
implement an outreach plan to identify eligible mothers, who reside in the area
served by the consortium, and register the mothers in the program.� Upon
registration and in a manner that is consistent with federal and State privacy
laws, the consortium shall endeavor to collect the following information from
eligible mothers: whether the mother has or had access to a dental home during
a current or prior pregnancy; the mother�s oral hygiene routine, including the
use of fluoride toothpaste; the mother�s dietary habits; and the results of
previous pregnancies.

���� (2)�� Each consortium shall
establish an oral health education program.� Prior to the commencement of the
oral health education program, each consortium shall require eligible mothers
to complete a pre-education assessment that includes testing the mother�s understanding
of oral health and oral hygiene.

���� (3)�� Each consortium shall
provide eligible mothers a minimum of three hours of oral health education that
includes the following:� oral hygiene routines for mothers, infants, and
children; nutritional counseling; education regarding the correlation between cariogenic
disease and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and gastric changes; the impact
of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol on a mother�s oral health and the unborn child;
recommendations and resources for routine oral health care for mothers,
infants, and children; and education regarding available educational support.�
Oral health education program educators shall be compatible with the language
and cultural needs of the eligible mothers enrolled in the oral health
education program.

���� (4)�� Following the eligible
mother�s completion of the oral health education program, the consortium shall
require the eligible mother to complete a post-education assessment that
includes testing to assess the mother�s understanding of oral health and oral hygiene
routines.

���� b.��� Within 90 days following
the effective date of this act, a community oral health center seeking to
participate in the MOM Project shall file an application with the department,
in a manner to be determined by the department.� The department shall require
an eligible community oral health center to enter into an agreement with a
consortium to implement the following:

���� (1)�� Following an eligible
mother�s completion of the oral health education program, the center shall
develop a customized oral health treatment plan and nutritional recommendations
for the mother, infant, and child, as applicable.

���� (2)�� Following an eligible
mother�s completion of the oral health education program, provide the mother,
infant, and child, as applicable, oral health treatment for one year.� The
dental care shall include the following:

���� (a)�� a dental visit for
cleaning, cavity risk assessment, periodontal charting, and to establish a
one-year treatment plan;

���� (b)�� comprehensive dental
care and restorative treatment as needed;

���� (c)�� a cleaning and treatment
plan review approximately six months and one year following the date of the
initial dental visit;

���� (d)�� two dental visits for the child or infant; and

���� (e)�� identification of a
dental home for the child or infant before the infant receives his or her first
tooth.

���� c.���� Within 180 days
following the effective date of this act, each consortium and health center
shall compile and report relevant data to the department, as determined by the
department.

���� d.��� (1) Within 180 days
following the effective date of this act, the department shall contract with a
third-party to assist with data analysis and project evaluation activities.

���� (2) Prior to the expiration of
this act, the department and the third-party hired to assist with data analysis
and project evaluation activities shall informally convene an advisory panel of
interested stakeholders, including, but not limited to, the consortia and
centers participating in the MOM Project, Medicaid managed care organizations,
and the Department of Human Services to evaluate reported data.� This
evaluation shall consider, at a minimum, the costs of the MOM Project and
comparison costs if similar services were purchased through the Medicaid
program on a fee for service basis, the results of the oral health education
program based on test results, and maternal and child health outcomes as
compared to a similar group of Medicaid beneficiaries who did not participate
in the MOM Project. Based on its findings, the advisory panel shall design a
model to be potentially included in the Medicaid program.

���� (3) The department shall
prepare and submit a report of its findings to the Governor, and to the
Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).

���� 4.��� a. There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the Department of Health such sums as may be necessary
to effectuate the purposes of this act, but not to exceed $4,150,000, as shall
be determined by the Commissioner of Health.

���� b.��� Maternal and child
health consortia shall receive the following reimbursement for services:�
$200,000 in the first year, $400,000 in the second year, and $650,000 in the
third year.

���� c.���� Community oral health
centers shall receive the following reimbursement for services:� up to $5,000
per eligible mother and not to exceed 75 mothers in the first year, up to
$5,000 per eligible mother and not to exceed 150 mothers in the second year,
and up to $5,000 per eligible mother and not to exceed 300 mothers in the third
year.

���� d.��� The third-party hired by
the department to assist with data analysis and project evaluation activities
shall receive $275,000 for the provision of services.

���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect 90 days following the date of enactment and shall expire three years
thereafter.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the MOM
Project oral health three-year pilot program (program) in the Department of
Health (department) and appropriates $4,150,000.

���� Under the bill, �community
oral health center� or �center� means the following in-State entities:� a
federally qualified health center, a dental home, or an acute care hospital
licensed by the department that provides dental services to individuals who reside
in a medically underserved area. �Dental home� means a licensed dental practice
that administers services in manner that is accessible, culturally-sensitive,
and family-centered.� A �dental home� does not include a licensed dental
practice if less than 75 percent of the dental practice�s patients are
individuals who are low income and who reside in a medically underserved area.�
�Eligible mother� or �mother� means a State resident who is pregnant,
low-income, and not enrolled in, eligible for, or determined presumptively
eligible for coverage under any Medicaid program.� �Maternal and child health
consortium� or �consortium� means a nonprofit organization licensed as a
central service facility by the department, and incorporated under Section
501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code.

���� Under the bill, the department
is to administer the program in conjunction with at least one consortium.�
Within 90 days following the effective date of this bill, each participating
consortium is to begin to provide the following program services:

���� (1) Each consortium is to
implement an outreach plan to identify eligible mothers, who reside in the area
served by the consortium, and register the mothers in the program.� Upon
registration and in a manner that is consistent with federal and State privacy
laws, the consortium is to endeavor to collect the following information from
eligible mothers: whether the mother has or had access to a dental home during
a current or prior pregnancy; the mother�s oral hygiene routine, including the
use of fluoride toothpaste; the mother�s dietary habits; and the result of
previous pregnancies.

���� (2)�� Each consortium is to
establish an oral health education program.� Prior to the commencement of the
oral health education program, each consortium is to require eligible mothers
to complete a pre-education assessment that includes testing the mother�s understanding
of oral health and oral hygiene.

���� (3)�� Each consortium is to
provide eligible mothers a minimum of three hours of oral health education that
includes the following:� oral hygiene routines for mothers, infants, and
children; nutritional counseling; education regarding the correlation between cariogenic
disease and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and gastric changes; the impact
of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol on a mother�s oral health and the unborn child;
recommendations and resources for routine oral health care for mothers,
infants, and children; and education regarding available educational support.�
Oral health education program educators are to be compatible with the language
and cultural needs of the eligible mothers enrolled in the oral health
education program.

���� (4)�� Following the eligible
mother�s completion of the oral health education program, the consortium is to
require the eligible mother to complete a post-education assessment that
includes testing to assess the mother�s understanding of oral health and oral hygiene
routines.

���� Under the bill, within 90 days
following the effective date of this bill, a community oral health center
seeking to participate in the MOM Project is to file an application with the
department, in a manner to be determined by the department.� The department is
to require an eligible community oral health center to enter into an agreement
with a consortium to implement the following:

���� (1)�� Following an eligible
mother�s completion of the oral health education program, the center is to
develop a customized oral health treatment plan and nutritional recommendations
for the mother, infant, and child, as applicable.

���� (2)�� Following an eligible
mother�s completion of the oral health education program, provide the mother,
infant, and child, as applicable, oral health treatment for one year.� The
dental care shall include the following:

���� (a)�� a dental visit for
cleaning, cavity risk assessment, periodontal charting, and to establish a
one-year treatment plan;

���� (b)�� comprehensive dental
care and restorative treatment as needed;

���� (c)�� a cleaning and treatment
plan review approximately six months and one year following the date of the
initial dental visit;

���� (d)�� two dental visits for
the infant or child; and

���� (e)�� identification of a
dental home for the child or infant before the infant receives his or her first
tooth.

���� Under the bill, within 180
days following the effective date of this bill, each consortium and health
center is to compile and report relevant data to the department, as determined
by the department.� The department is to contract with a third-party to assist
with data analysis and project evaluation activities.� The department and the
third-party hired are to informally convene an advisory panel to design an oral
health model to be potentially included in the Medicaid program.� The
department is to prepare and submit a report of its findings to the Governor
and to the Legislature.

���� The bill appropriates $4,150,000
to the department to effectuate the purposes of the bill, as detailed in
section 4 of the bill.