Kansas lawmakers have invested $10 million in the state’s Medicaid dental program to encourage more dentists to participate, KSNT reported July 18.
Only 30% of dentists in the state accept Medicaid because of the low reimbursement rates offered by the state. These rates have not been increased in about 25 years.
With the new funding, the state plans to increase reimbursement rates for dental services, some by 50%.
Tanya Dorf Brunner, the Director for Oral Health Kansas, told KSNT that while the funding is a helpful start, the state will likely need about $30 million more to get rates where they need to be.
