The AP (1/22) reports that “a proposal in Maine would stop insurance companies from mandating waiting periods” for children’s dental treatments. State Sen. Heather Sanborn (D-Portland) said the change would “save young people from pain and costly procedures that would have been avoided with timely intervention from a dentist.”

WABI-TV Bangor, ME (1/21, Kingsley) reports that on Tuesday, members from the Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services met to discuss the bill, which “would abolish insurance waiting periods for anyone under the age of 19.” Dr. Jonathan Shenkin, a pediatric dentist in Augusta, brought up the idea to Sen. Sanborn. “The bill came about because of an incident in my office, one day where we had three patients that had wait periods and were in pain. And the parents couldn’t afford dental care at that time,” Dr. Shenkin said, adding, “They’re paying a premium for their dental insurance. And the cost of the dental care was too much...they just couldn’t afford to get timely treatment for their children.”

The ADA News (12/3, Garvin) reported on the bill previously.