---
title: HB 573. Insurance; remove dentists from participation with care management organizations
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb573
cite_as: HB 573, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb573
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb573.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb573/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70656
date: 2025-02-26
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb573.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 573
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-21
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Ron Stephens
- Steven Sainz
- Lee Hawkins
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB573/2025
upstream_id: 1980008
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- dental care
- Medicaid
- health insurance regulation
- managed care organizations
---
# HB 573. Insurance; remove dentists from participation with care management organizations
## Text
House Bill 573
By: Representatives Stephens of the 164th, Sainz of the 180th, and Hawkins of the 27th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 21A of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
Medicaid care management organizations, so to remove dentists from participation with care
management organizations; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 21A of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to Medicaid care
management organizations, is amended by revising paragraph (6) of Code Section 33-21A-2,
relating to definitions, as follows:
(6) 'Health care services' has the same meaning as in paragraph (5) of Code Section
33-21-1 means any services included in the furnishing to any individual of medical care
or hospitalization or incident to the furnishing of such care or hospitalization, as well as
the furnishing to any person of any and all other services for the purpose of preventing,
alleviating, curing, or healing human illness or injury. Such term shall not include dental
services.
SECTION 2.
Said chapter is further amended by repealing and reserving Code Section 33-21A-8, relating
to participation by dentists.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia House bill would remove dentists from Medicaid care management organizations by excluding dental services from the definition of health care services these managed care plans cover.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia's Medicaid care management organizations (CMOs) are private managed care plans the state contracts with to coordinate Medicaid patients' health care, including dental services under current law. This bill would change that setup.
It rewrites the definition of 'health care services' in the law governing these organizations (O.C.G.A. § 33-21A-2) to specifically exclude dental services. It also repeals Code Section 33-21A-8, the section that currently governs how dentists participate with care management organizations, leaving that section blank ('reserved') rather than replaced with new rules. The bill does not specify an alternate system for covering dental care under Medicaid managed care; it simply removes dentists and dental services from the CMO framework. No effective date is stated beyond the standard process of becoming law.
### What it does
- Rewrites the definition of 'health care services' in the law governing Medicaid care management organizations (O.C.G.A. § 33-21A-2) to exclude dental services.
- Repeals Code Section 33-21A-8, which currently sets the rules for how dentists participate with care management organizations, and leaves that section reserved (blank).
- Removes dentists as required or covered participants within the Medicaid managed care plan structure without creating a replacement mechanism in this bill's text.
### Who it affects
Dentists who currently participate in Georgia's Medicaid care management organizations, the care management organizations themselves, and Medicaid patients who receive dental care through these managed care plans could all be affected by this change.
### Why it matters
If enacted, dental services and dentists would no longer fall under the Medicaid care management organization system in Georgia. This could change how dental care for Medicaid enrollees is arranged, billed, or coordinated, since the law removes the existing framework without spelling out a replacement.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 revises the definition of 'health care services' in O.C.G.A. § 33-21A-2 to state that the term 'shall not include dental services.'
- Section 2 repeals Code Section 33-21A-8, which relates to participation by dentists in care management organizations, and reserves that section (leaves it blank rather than replacing it).
- Section 3 repeals any other laws that conflict with this Act.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-21)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-26)
- Sponsors: Ron Stephens, Steven Sainz, Lee Hawkins
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70656
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb573.md?full=1