Here are six updates on dental coverage under Medicaid and Medicare since August:
1. U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson plans to lead the effort to pass the Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act in the next Congress.
2. States save only about 20 to 50 cents for every $1 they cut from Medicaid dental spending, depending on their federal matching rates, according to a study published Oct. 16 in JAMA Health Forum.
3. Nine in 10 voters support Medicare dental benefits, according to a national poll conducted by the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health.
4. Aetna resolved a system configuration error that caused some out-of-network Medicare Advantage dental claims to be adjudicated under Medicare medical rules rather than dental benefit rules.
5. California community health centers are bracing for increased costs as a provision in the state’s 2026-27 budget will eliminate routine Medi-Cal dental coverage for many undocumented immigrants beginning July 1.
6. The Academy of General Dentistry is supporting the Medicaid Dental Benefit Act of 2026, which would make dental and oral health services a mandatory component of Medicaid coverage for adults in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
