Have you had trouble getting dental care lately? If so, you’re not alone. Vermonters with low incomes, in particular, face a crisis in access to oral health care.
Thousands of Medicaid patients in Vermont struggle to find a dentist who accepts their insurance. For those who are lucky enough to find a provider, the next step can be even harder — deciding what needed services to get now, and what must wait until next year. That is because, except for pregnant adults and children, Medicaid limits dental coverage to two annual preventive visits and caps additional services at $1,000.
Medicaid won’t pay for dental services above this amount, even if they are medically necessary.
Hundreds of Vermonters call the Health Care Advocate HelpLine every month with questions about health insurance and how to access care. Dental access is one of the most common areas of concern that we hear about. Vermonters who experience these issues can lead to some of our most distressing calls.
Source: Mike Fisher: Increase Medicaid dental reimbursements, and remove the cap / vtdigger.org