Nebraska Medicaid recipients are facing challenges with scheduling appointments as the number of participating dentists has declined, the Nebraska News Service reported May 6.
Six notes:
1. Nebraska currently contracts with three companies to manage its Medicaid program: Molina Healthcare, Nebraska Total Care and UnitedHealthcare.
2. More than 400,000 people were enrolled in Nebraska’s Medicaid program in fiscal year 2025, nearly half of whom were children.
3. More dentists stopped accepting Medicaid due to increased credentialing burdens. Farrah Plate, DDS, estimated that about 40% of dentists left the program once the state switched from working with one managed care organization to three in 2024.
4. Although the state launched a website where dentists could credential with all three organizations, some providers still think the process is too complex.
5. Low reimbursement rates are also keeping dentists from participating in Medicaid, with many experiencing a loss in revenue from accepting patients in this program.
6. Nebraska increased its reimbursement rates by 12.5% in 2024, but many dentists argue they can still earn more with private insurers. The state’s reimbursement rates are about 64.7% of what dentists would make with private insurers for adult services.
