Here are six states that have passed legislation this year to increase Medicaid dental funding and expand benefits:
1. Missouri expanded Medicaid dental benefits over the summer, allowing adults to receive routine dental exams.
2. Alabama increased its Medicaid dental reimbursements by 19% earlier this year.
3. Kansas lawmakers invested $10 million in the state’s Medicaid dental program to encourage more dentists to participate. With the new funding, the state plans to increase reimbursement rates for dental services, some by 50%.
4. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the state’s budget bill June 22 that includes approximately $140 million in new funding to increase reimbursement rates for frequently billed Medicaid dental codes.
5. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill in April to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for certain dental services. The state also enacted a law April 14 that requires Medicaid to reimburse dental schools and academic medical centers for services provided to individuals with high complexity oral healthcare.
6. Adults in Utah who are 21 and older are eligible for dental coverage under Medicaid after The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved the expanded coverage earlier this year.
