A federal appeals court reversed a decision that denied Medicaid funding to dental health aide therapists in Washington tribal communities.
The state of Washington and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community filed an appeal in March 2021 to reverse the decision, which CMS made on the final day of the Trump administration, according to a Jan. 19 news release from the Washington State Attorney General's office.
Dental health aide therapists provide oral care services in many rural tribal communities, where there is a lack of readily available dentists and dental services. The dental therapists are trained to perform around 40 dental procedures, including preventive services and extractions.
The federal government will begin covering all of the costs for Medicaid patients who use the services of the dental therapists, which currently come out of the state's budget.
CMS previously approved a similar program for Medicaid funding of dental health aide therapists in Alaska in 2004, the release said.