Assembly BillIntroducedWelfare and Institutions
AB 1670: Medi-Cal: dental care.
What AB 1670 does, verified May 16, 2026
This bill requires that Medi-Cal providers be paid additional compensation for certain dental care services that require significant extra time, attention, or personnel to deliver safely. This additional payment is limited to three times in a 12-month period. The goal is to ensure that providers can adequately care for patients with complex conditions, without being penalized for the extra time and resources required.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: In committee: Held under submission. (2026-05-14)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions10 total · showing 5
| May. 14, 2026 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May. 06, 2026 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Apr. 27, 2026 | Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Apr. 23, 2026 | Read second time and amended. |
| Apr. 22, 2026 | From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 21). |
Latest bill textAmended version, April 23, 2026 · 504 words
| Amended IN Assembly April 23, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly March 19, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1670
| Introduced by Assembly Member Arambula |
February 02, 2026 |
An act to add Section 14132.24 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1670, as amended, Arambula. Medi-Cal: additional compensation. dental care.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, including dental care, as specified. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes reimbursement rates for services provided by Medi-Cal providers to beneficiaries.
This bill would require that a provider be paid additional compensation when a patient’s physical, behavioral, developmental, or emotional condition requires significant extra time, attention, or personnel to safely deliver dental care. The bill would limit this additional payment to 3 times in a 12-month period.
This bill would make behavior management and desensitization services without an accompanying dental procedure covered benefits under the Medi-Cal program, subject to utilization controls, when a patient’s physical, behavioral, developmental, or emotional condition requires significant extra time, attention, or personnel, or requires such services preceding a dental visit, respectively, in order to safely deliver dental care. The bill would condition implementation of these provisions on the availability of federal financial participation and any necessary federal approvals having been obtained. The bill would, notwithstanding any other law, authorize the department to implement, interpret, or make specific these provisions by means of all-county letters, plan letters, plan or provider bulletins, or similar instructions without taking any further regulatory action.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 14132.24 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:14132.24.
(a)(b)The department shall create an aid code to identify whether the beneficiary is also served by a regional center.
(b) Desensitization services without an accompanying dental procedure, when a patient’s physical, behavioral, developmental, or emotional condition requires such services preceding a dental visit in order to safely deliver dental care, is a covered benefit, subject to utilization controls.
(c) (1) This section shall be implemented only to the extent that federal financial participation is available and not otherwise jeopardized, and any necessary federal approvals have been obtained.
(2) Notwithstanding any other law, the department, without taking any further regulatory action, may implement, interpret, or make specific this section by means of all-county letters, plan letters, plan or provider bulletins, or similar instructions.
Text of AB 1670 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions