Latest TDMR Stories
Arkansas Raises Medicaid Dental Rates After 18 Years
After 18 years of no increases in Medicaid dental fees, Arkansas has taken meaningful legislative action to increase Medicaid dental reimbursement rates — a move that providers and advocates have long awaited. Fee increase now law Signed into law on … Read More
Governor Abbott Reappoints Winter As Inspector General For Health And Human Services
Governor Greg Abbott reappointed Raymond Charles “Ray” Winter as the Inspector General for Health and Human Services for a term set to expire on February 1, 2026. Raymond Charles “Ray” Winter of Austin is the Inspector General for Health and … Read More
DentaQuest Denying Substitute Dentist Requests to Cover Vacations, Sick Days or Emergency Situations
A Medicaid dental provider with multiple offices in the state contacted TDMR this past week, voicing serious concerns about recent restrictions imposed on their practice by Canadian-owned DMO DentaQuest regarding the use of substitute dentists. Violation of Texas Administrative Code … Read More
North Carolina and North Dakota Set Example with Medicaid Dental Reforms
Recent legislative actions in North Dakota and North Carolina—both Republican-led states—highlight growing nationwide recognition of the urgent need for Medicaid dental reforms. These developments underscore a critical issue facing Texas: inadequate dental Medicaid reimbursement rates, which continue to hinder staffing, … Read More
Revised Medicaid Dental Fees Take Effect March 1
TDMR was contacted a few days ago by a concerned dentist who was unaware of which Medicaid reimbursement rates were changing as part of the upcoming March 1, 2025, fee adjustments. These rolled out as a result of the biennial … Read More
BREAKING NEWS: Tooth Fairy Continues to be Generous to Kids in Texas
Despite all the talk of cost cutting in Tooth Fairy Land and despite curtailing payouts in other parts of the country, the Tooth Fairy continues to leave generous payouts for childrens’ lost teeth in Texas and the South. This unexpected … Read More
Texas Has Fifth Most Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas in Nation
According to the latest online Health Resources & Services Administration statistics, Texas ranks behind California, Arkansas, Missouri, and Florida as the states with the most dental health professional shortage areas (DHPSAs). Texas currently has 265 areas designated as such. The HRSA … Read More
Whoa! Delaware Supreme Court Upholds New Trial for Conduent in $235M Texas Medicaid Fraud Settlement Dispute
And the story rolls on. The Delaware Supreme Court this week ruled against insurance giants AIG, ACE, and Lexington Insurance, upholding a lower court’s decision to order a new trial in their dispute with Conduent State Healthcare (ACS/Xerox/Conduent) over coverage … Read More
Texas Ranks Among Worst States for Dental Health, Survey Finds
A January 2025 oral health survey conducted and published by personal finance website WalletHub has ranked Texas as one of the states (the District of Columbia was included in the survey) with the worst oral health in the country. Source: … Read More
Credentialing Slowdowns Crippling Access to Care for Dental Medicaid
Texas is grappling with a critical shortage of healthcare workers, including dental professionals, exacerbating dental access and provider issues across the state. A recent Newsweek article, “How Texas Could Solve Its Health Care Worker Crisis,” highlighted these problems, mentioning a Becker’s … Read More
Dentist Shares His Medicaid Story and Inspiration
TDMR received this story from Dr. Hector Alvarez in Eagle Pass earlier this month. We found it informative and inspiring in his and his family’s dedication to helping the underserved and needy in his county. It speaks to the quality … Read More
Texas Sues CMS To Prevent $83 Million Federal Recoupment of Medicaid Hospital Payments
According to a news item on the Husch Blackwell website, Texas filed suit against the federal government on December 11 to stop the recoupment of $83 million in Medicaid payments given to hospitals several years ago. The issue revolves around … Read More
HHSC Requesting $300 Million to Update Medicaid Application Process
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) plans to request $300 million from the state legislature to address extensive delays in processing Medicaid applications. This funding would facilitate hiring over 1,000 new employees and modernizing the outdated and heavily … Read More
Dentists Sound the Alarm At November 12 Medicaid Dental Fee Hearing
In the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) hearing held on November 12 about the proposed rate changes to the Medicaid dental fee schedule, eleven dental professionals, including a representative of the Texas Dental Association, testified, either in person … Read More
$20 Million at Stake as ACS/Conduent Appeals Medicaid Dentists’ Win to the Supreme Court
ACS State Healthcare and Conduent State Healthcare LLC have filed an appeal with the Texas Supreme Court, hoping to prevent a trial in which it must defend its flawed Medicaid prior authorization process, which rubber-stamped hundreds of millions of dollars … Read More
As DentaQuest Tightens the Noose on Medicaid Providers in Texas, Sun Life’s Share Price Hits Highest Ever
While DentaQuest limits its Medicaid network in Texas and threatens to boot over 100 providers from its network in urban areas, yesterday, its Canadian parent company, Sun Life Financial Inc., crowed about its share price reaching an all-time high, boosted … Read More