Contact your elected officials by email or phone and tell them NO to Mid-Level Providers in the Commonwealth!  

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The Mid Level Provider Bill (H.4869/S.2854) has been reported out of committee favorably by the Joint Committee on Public Health and the Committee on Health Care Finance in the Senate.   

This bill would establish licensure and regulation of dental therapists (mid-level providers) under the Board of Registration in Dentistry.   The Massachusetts Dental Society Board of Trustees has voted to oppose this legislation once again, and we are calling on all MDS members to contact their Representatives and Senators in Boston and tell them NO to a MID LEVEL PROVIDER bill in the State of Massachusetts!

• Massachusetts does not have a dentist shortage.
  The Commonwealth’s access challenges stem from low Medicaid reimbursement rates and a shortage of dental hygienists—not from the absence of another licensed provider type. Creating dental therapists does not address these cost drivers.
• This proposal introduces new costs without fixing the underlying problem.
  Licensing, regulation, supervision, and oversight of dental therapists would impose new administrative and regulatory burdens while leaving Medicaid participation and workforce shortages unchanged. From a fiscal perspective, this is an added layer of expense without a demonstrated return.
• Patient safety and accountability must remain clear.
  Dental care is diagnosis-driven. Fragmenting care by allowing irreversible procedures from providers with substantially less training increases risk and complicates accountability—particularly in publicly financed care where oversight and outcomes matter most.
• There are more cost effective, evidence based alternatives.
  Targeted investments in Medicaid dental reimbursement and hygienist workforce capacity directly improve access while preserving quality and accountability. These solutions strengthen the existing system rather than creating a parallel one.
• The Bottom line.
  H.4869 / S.2854 adds cost, complexity, and risk—without solving the access problem it claims to address.