As Medicaid eligibility expands in some states, dentists may be left wondering how it will affect them.
Here are five relevant notes, per the American Dental Association:
1. Thirty-nine states and Washington, D.C., had expanded Medicaid eligibility as of November 2020. Of those states, 35 provide at least limited dental benefits for adults.
2. Demand for Medicaid dental services among children and adults is likely to increase in the future, regardless of Medicaid expansion.
3. More than half of children (51.3 percent) have private dental benefits, while 38.5 percent have dental benefits through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, and 10.3 percent don't have dental benefits. For adults up to age 64, 59 percent have private dental benefits, 7.4 percent have dental benefits through Medicaid, and 33.6 percent don't have dental benefits.
4. Dental care utilization is typically higher among individuals with private dental benefits compared to individuals with Medicaid benefits, though dental utilization among Medicaid-enrolled children has been increasing over the past decade.
5. As of 2019, about 43 percent of U.S. dentists accept Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program. Medicaid acceptance varies by dentist, specialty and state.