Texas legislator targets Medicaid dental fraud

A Texas lawmaker has introduced another piece of legislation intended to address Medicaid dental fraud in the wake of the ongoing controversy about millions of dollars the state has spent on orthodontic care for children.

Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) said SB 8 would address the ongoing Medicaid scandal, particularly such tactics as solicitors that offer gifts and cash to parents of Medicaid children to coax them into getting orthodontic care from certain dentists, according to a story by WFAA-TV. It also details the state inspector general's role in uncovering and reporting fraud, and bans a dentist from participating in Medicaid if found guilty of fraud.

Texas has been rocked by allegations of fraud by dentist and orthodontists accused of bilking the state Medicaid program out of tens of millions of dollars. A report released in 2012 by the state Health and Human Services Commission revealed that Texas orthodontists charged Medicaid as much for services as the rest of the U.S. combined in 2010, and that the Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership, tasked with evaluating and approving claims, was rubber-stamping them.

Last month Nelson introduced SB 151, a related piece of legislation that would provide more oversight of dental service organizations (DSOs).