Download Dental Medicaid Cuts will Hurt CT - Connecticut Oral Health Initiative

CUTS TO CHILDREN’S DENTAL MEDICAID
WILL HURT CONNECTICUT!
Governor Malloy proposes to cut children’s dental Medicaid
reimbursement rates by 10% causing a decrease in access to dental
care.
Dental caries is the most common chronic disease of childhood, even more than asthma.
Pain and infection from untreated decay can lead to problems eating, learning, socializing and
can affect their overall health.
Lack of, or delayed, dental treatment in children results in: increased costs as emergency
treatments are more expensive than routine care, more advanced disease costlier to treat,
and a future population with more dental disease requires costlier treatment.
Dental Medicaid Is Working!
Changes in Medicaid have resulted in great strides in reducing disparities in oral health.
Children have access to comprehensive dental coverage, including preventive, diagnostic
and restorative care. As a result of the 2008 Carr v. Wilson-Coker lawsuit settlement, children
in low income families were better able to access dental care; with an increase in dental care
utilization from 29% in 1999 to over 70% in 2014.
The increase in utilization of dental services by children, decrease in decay experience
and decrease in Care Cost Trends can be attributed directly to increasing reimbursement rates
and lowering the administrative burden for dentists.
Over 2000 licensed dental practitioners provide treatment to children today compared to
about 300 prior to the lawsuit. The prevalence of decay in Head Start children decreased
by 50% from 2006/2007 to 2010/2011, as evidenced by the DPH Every Smile Counts survey.
Additionally, over 70% of children have received preventive treatment which resulted in a
decrease in overall costs.
The Cuts Will Erode All Of The Successes We Have Made In HUSKY Dental.
We will lose dentists if the reimbursement rates are lowered.
We have this success due to the reimbursement rates set at more realistic rates in 2008 as of
result of the lawsuit. Lower rates in surrounding states such as Massachusetts and New York
show much lower number of dentists accepting Medicaid limiting access to care.
Children of HUSKY A Parents who lose coverage, even though the children retain coverage,
are less likely to receive dental care. One third less children on HUSKY receive dental care if
their parent has no HUSKY dental visit.
CUTS TO CHILDREN’S DENTAL MEDICAID AND HUSKY A PARENT ELIGIBILITY
WILL HURT CONNECTICUT!
For more information, contact Mary Moran Boudreau, Connecticut Oral Health Initiative,
[email protected], 860-246-2644