Provides for coverage of certain dental care when connected with cancer treatment. (gov sig) (EG INCREASE GF EX See Note)

Senate Bill 155 enacts a new section of Louisiana's insurance code, R.S. 22:1077.5, that establishes mandatory dental coverage requirements for cancer patients under health insurance plans. The statute requires insurers to cover medically necessary dental procedures for individuals diagnosed with cancer, specifically including fluoride treatments and procedures to reduce infection risk or treat tooth loss or decay within thirty days before beginning chemotherapy, biological therapy, or radiation therapy treatment. The law also mandates coverage for dental procedures addressing tooth loss or decay that directly or indirectly results from cancer treatment itself, and for obturators used to treat defects of the oral cavity caused by cancer treatment. The coverage requirement extends to laboratory assessments, medications, and treatments associated with these dental procedures. The statute explicitly clarifies that insurers remain exempt from providing coverage for routine preventive dental care such as cleanings and sealants.

The practical effect of this legislation impacts cancer patients throughout Louisiana by ensuring access to dentally related treatment that becomes medically necessary due to their cancer diagnosis and treatment regimen. Patients will receive coverage for pre-treatment dental work designed to minimize complications during chemotherapy or radiation, as well as post-treatment reconstruction and infection prevention. Health insurers offering plans in Louisiana will bear the cost of these covered dental services, though the requirement does not apply to excepted benefit plans, limited benefit health insurance plans, or short-term policies with terms shorter than twelve months. The implementation timeline allows insurers time to adjust their coverage structures, with new policies issued on or after January 1, 2027 required to comply immediately, while existing policies must convert to comply by their renewal date or January 1, 2028, whichever occurs first.

This legislation operates within the broader statutory framework of Louisiana's health insurance regulations found in Title 22 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. The statute interacts with the existing framework of cancer treatment coverage already required under present law, which the bill retains while adding the specific dental component. The bill's exemption of excepted benefits, limited benefit plans, and short-term policies aligns with standard insurance regulatory practice found elsewhere in Louisiana law, such as the definition of excepted benefits in R.S. 22:1061. The effective date provision incorporates constitutional procedures found in Article II, Section 18 of the Louisiana Constitution regarding gubernatorial action on legislation, establishing that the law takes effect upon signature or upon expiration of the time allowed for signature without gubernatorial action.