Tennessee legislators are reviewing a proposal to offer Medicaid dental coverage to all adult enrollees, NPR affiliate WPLN reported Feb. 15. 

From defamation lawsuits to new partnerships, here are five dental payer updates:

Healthcare finance technology platform ClearGage is partnering with Dental Finance, a finance technology company that focuses on the dental industry.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proposed $243 million be added to her annual budget to expand dental coverage to adult Medicaid recipients, Michigan Radio reported Feb. 13.

Zentist and Apex Reimbursement Specialists' revenue cycle management bootcamp is set to begin March 24 in Miami.

A bill introduced to an Oregon House committee would expand Medicaid dental coverage for low-income veterans, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported Feb. 9.

UnitedHealthcare Dental has launched several digital resources and a partnership with oral care product manufacturer Quip to enhance care for its members, the insurer said Feb. 9.

A Florida House proposal that would make changes to the state's managed care system is concerning dentists, who are worried about the accessibility of care for patients, according to a Feb. 7 article from News Service of Florida.

New Hampshire is closer to expanding Medicaid dental benefits after a Senate bill unanimously passed the Health and Human Services Committee, the New Hampshire Bulletin reported Feb. 2. 

Factcheck.org, a nonprofit organization by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, recently debunked a viral Facebook post falsely advertising an opportunity to enroll in dental coverage under Medicare. 

One in four dentists who own a practice raised their practice fees at the end of 2021 to maintain financial stability, according to a recent poll by the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute. 

Boston-based insurance company DentaQuest received a 95 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2022 Corporate Equality Index.

Regular preventive dental visits for Medicaid patients were linked to improved healthcare outcomes such as lower dental costs and fewer oral surgeries, according to a recent study by the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. 

The Maryland Legislature is considering a bill that would add adult dental coverage to the state's Medicaid program, ABC affiliate WMDT reported Jan. 25. 

Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation awarded more than $7 million to 38 organizations in Colorado to improve oral health equity.

Oral healthcare use and spending rates are lower during the first four years of life and in young adulthood than any other periods of life, according to findings published in The Journal of The American Dental Association.

Delta Dental of New Mexico will integrate the NovoDynamics dental insurance service into its dental insurance claims processing system, NovoDynamics said Jan. 12. 

Where dentists practice plays as big a role as experience in determining their income.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services implemented a base dental reimbursement rate increase Jan. 1.

National dental expenditures dropped 1.8 percent from 2019 to 2020, according to data cited by the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.