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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Feldman

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/25/06

HB

SHORT TITLE Increase Dental Education Slots

SB 180

ANALYST Earp

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$136.5

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to: Senate Bills 83 and 85, House Bill 172

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

Department of Health (DH)

Health Policy Commission (HPC)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 180, sponsored by Senator Feldman on behalf of the interim Health and Human Ser-

vices Committee, appropriates $136,500 from the general fund to the Higher Education Depart-

ment (HED) to increase the number of slots for dental students seeking support from the Western

Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $136,500 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007 shall revert

to the general fund.

Senate Bill 180 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

New Mexico does not have a dental school within its borders; however, the state has provided

some access to dental education for many years through the Western Interstate Commission on

Higher Education (WICHE) professional student exchange program. New Mexico currently has

11 slots dedicated to dentistry with WICHE institutions. This program provides students with a

set scholarship amount of $22,000 per year to use at an out-of-state dental program. If enacted,

SB180 would increase the number of slots for dental students by six, which will increase the po-

tential for more dental health professionals to provide services in New Mexico.

The WICHE program offers participating students reduced tuition levels at participating institu-

tions. New Mexico students are required to return to New Mexico to practice after graduation.

According to information provided by HED, New Mexico spent $255,200 on the WICHE den-

tal exchange to support 19 student participants during 1993-1994. By 2005-2006, the amount of

funding had increased to $604,500 and the number of participating students increased to 31.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

HED manages New Mexico’s participation in the WICHE program. No significant additional

administrative impact would result from enactment of this legislation.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

This bill relates to Senate Bills 83 and 85 and House Bill 172. All of these bills promote the ex-

pansion of dental services in New Mexico.

This bill relates to a recurring appropriation in the General Appropriation Act to HED for the

WICHE Student Exchange Program. The WICHE program is a component of the overall funding

appropriated by the state for student financial aid.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The Health Policy Commission notes that New Mexico currently does not have a dental school

so the only avenue for individuals who wish to become dentists is to complete their undergradu-

ate education in New Mexico and obtain acceptance in dental schools in adjoining states.

Through WICHE, slots will be available for NM students in dental schools in the WICHE re-

gion. The average dental education program is four years. With the current slots filled with stu-

dents who may be in a one, two, three or four year program, it is conceivable that only 8 indi-

viduals from NM will graduate from dental school yearly. This still does not begin to address

the critical shortage in NM.

New Mexico has traditionally been severely underserved in oral health. Health Resources and

Services Administration (HRSA) reports:

•

There were 616 dentists, 560 dental hygienists, and 1,520 dental assistants practicing in

New Mexico in 2000. There were 33.8 dentists per 100,000 populations in NM in 2000,

well below the national rate of 63.6. New Mexico ranked 49th in the nation in dentists per

capita. The per capita ratio of dental hygienists was also below the national rate.

•

The number of dentists in NM increased 2% between 1991 and 2000 while the state’s

population grew 18%. The result was a 13% decline in dentists per capita, in contrast to a

16% increase nationwide.

DE/nt