Adult Medicaid recipients in Maine continue to struggle with accessing dental care despite the state expanding coverage four years ago, Bangor Daily News reported April 8.
Six notes:
1. Legislators expanded coverage under MaineCare in 2022 to cover preventative, restorative and diagnostic services.
2. Thirty percent of the state’s population is enrolled in Medicaid, but face long wait times or travel times for appointments due to the shortage of dentists in the program.
3. Although the state saw an influx of dentists between 2014 and 2024, only 32% of the state’s general dentists accept Medicaid, with even fewer specialists enrolled in the program.
4. Many dentists have stopped accepting Medicaid due to the low reimbursement rates, according to state Rep. Lucien Daigle, DMD.
5. The Office of MaineCare Services has decided to begin its dental rate redetermination process a year early in an effort to address the issue.
6. A state commission also submitted a report earlier this year calling for legislation to support dentists entering the workforce.
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