Massachusetts legislation · 194th General Court
Massachusetts H3987: An Act relative to ensuring access to dental care for MassHealth recipients
Status: In committee, June 17, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, April 3, 2025:
SECTION 1. Chapter 112 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 52G the following section: Section 52H. (a) For the purposes of section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: “Board”, the board of registration of dentistry pursuant to section 43. “Department”, the department of public health. “Executive office”, the executive office of health and human services. (b) No person shall be licensed by the board to practice dentistry pursuant to section 50 unless the person agrees to: (i) accept a minimum percentage of MassHealth patients as part of their active patient base, the percentage of which shall be determined by the department based on regional needs and the dental provider’s capacity; and (ii) provide documentation annually to the department verifying compliance with the minimum patient requirement set forth in clause (i). (c) The department, in consultation with the executive office, shall establish: (i) the minimum percentage of MassHealth patients required for compliance pursuant to subsection (b), which shall not be less than 5 per cent of a dental provider’s total patient caseload; and (ii) a process for dentists to apply for hardship exemptions or adjustments based on dental practice size, geographic location or other factors as determined by the department. (d) Any dentist who fails to meet the …
Sponsors
- Kip Diggs (D, 2nd Barnstable) · primary sponsor
- Vanna Howard (D, 17th Middlesex)
Latest actions
- : Reporting date extended to Friday, July 31, 2026
- : Reporting date extended to Monday, June 15, 2026
- : Reporting date extended until Wednesday, March 18, 2026
- : Hearing scheduled for 07/15/2025 from 10:00 AM-04:00 PM in Gardner Auditorium
- : Senate concurred
- : Referred to the committee on Health Care Financing
Common questions
- What is H3987?
- H3987 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act relative to ensuring access to dental care for MassHealth recipients.
- What is the status of H3987?
- In committee as of June 17, 2026. Latest action: Reporting date extended to Friday, July 31, 2026 (June 17, 2026).
- Who sponsored H3987?
- Kip Diggs (D, 2nd Barnstable), with 1 co-sponsor.
- Where is the official record for H3987?
- On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H3987
Source: official Massachusetts record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.