The influx of federal dollars and the recognition of the health and economic costs of poor dental health, six states in the country will expand medicaid. The expansion will provide support to adults in these six states.
The state and federal health insurance program for the poor, Medicaid, requires states to provide dental coverage for children, and not adults. However, the increasing costs of dental procedures for adults have inspired the authorities to make the change.
The programs have been expanded this year to provide dental health coverage to adults as well. This step comes as a relief for several adults who have to get expensive procedures done. The recognition does not make the access simple for those looking to get the procedure done.
The expansion of health insurance is acting as a barrier for those who are planning to expand their practice. The chief medical officer of Tennessee’s Medicaid program, Dr. Victor Wu, said that the rollout was a pleasant change. The need of the state is to build a network that can increase the participation rate of the residents who visit the dentist.
The routine dental care is avoided by those who do not come from a strong economical background. This results in neglected dental health for years or decades. Additionally, it has led to the significant rise in the cost of these treatments, both for the taxpayers and the poor.
The six states that expanded Medicaid this year were- Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, Michigan and New Hampshire. Around $ 33.4 million USD were spent over the past 12 months for providing dental care to the 88, 000 Medicaid recipients.
The Democratic Government in Kentucky ensured that the residents will continue having dental coverage after its proposal was rejected by the Republican-led legislature.
Lastly, the inconsistency in the approval and denial of the procedures is causing an issue in the existing billing system.
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