Here are eight dental-related Medicaid and Medicare updates that have taken place since September:
1. A panel of dentists, lawmakers and public health professionals met Nov. 5 to discuss ways to increase the number of dentists who accept Medicaid in Maine.
2. CMS added an oral health incentive as part of its merit-based payment system, according to its 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
3. Medicaid recipients in rural Missouri are still struggling to access dental care despite the state expanding Medicaid coverage.
4. An Alabama dentist is considering no longer accepting Medicaid due to the state’s low reimbursement rates.
5. Georgia’s Department of Community Health has failed to adopt recommendations made in a 2021 audit that were meant to improve children’s access to dental care under Medicaid.
6. The American Dental Association is advocating for operational improvements for dental service payments under Medicare.
7. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order that includes cuts to the state’s Medicaid program.
8. Medicaid funding cuts under the recently passed federal budget could exacerbate accessibility issues in Southeast Ohio.
