The state budget signed by Gov. Abbott on Sunday includes a provision approved by the Texas legislature that adjusts Medicaid dental reimbursement rates for a selected group of procedure codes, which will greatly benefit dental providers.  According to the TDA, … Read More

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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