The 2025 Give Kids A Smile kickoff is fast approaching, and the ADA Foundation is reminding program coordinators of some important dates. Free product kits for 2025 can be requested via the GKAS website beginning Oct. 1 through Nov. 15. … Read More
The best dental insurance companies are Anthem and Guardian, according to our analysis of large dental insurers. Anthem’s Essential Choice PPO Platinum plan received five out of five stars in our evaluation. We analyzed costs, deductibles, provider networks, waiting periods, … Read More
WELLESLEY, Mass., Oct. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Florida lawmakers approved more than $700 million to support health care workforce growth and innovation statewide with provisions specific to dental care. This includes a rate increase for dentists treating Medicaid patients that … Read More
In a substantial reduction of Medicaid coverage affecting more than two million individuals, primarily children, the State of Texas has drawn considerable scrutiny regarding its management of the “Medicaid unwinding” process following the cessation of pandemic-era federal support. The Texas … Read More
A bill to expand dental coverage under Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Sept. 17. The companion bill was introduced by Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., … Read More
Nearly every state in the U.S. has seen a decrease in the number of dental professional shortage areas since October 2023, according to data from the Health Resources & Services Administration. The HRSA updated its dashboard with new data on … Read More
The Biden-Harris administration has released guidance for coverage requirements in place for children and youth under Medicaid and CHIP. Five things dental leaders should know: 1. The guidance reinforces the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment requirements set in … Read More
October is National Dental Hygiene Month, and I am excited to take the opportunity to recognize and celebrate our nearly 6,000 supported dental hygienists at Heartland Dental. At Heartland Dental, we recognize the invaluable contributions of hygiene providers and are … Read More
Two pieces of legislation introduced to Congress earlier this year could potentially improve dental care access for thousands of people if passed. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell introduced the Comprehensive Dental Care Reform Act of 2024 Sept. 17 as a companion … Read More
The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners is the first dental board in the U.S. to remove mental health questions from its credentialing applications. The move is part of the Wellbeing First Champion Challenge program, which was launched by the … Read More
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), a leading healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives, announced today that the California Department of Health Care Services has selected its subsidiary, Health Net Community Solutions … Read More
Open wide, Vermont: A wave of new dentists-in-training is headed your way. On Friday, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry announced plans to open a new dental school in Vermont. The move will allow the Michigan college to … Read More
The ADA is advocating against pharmacy benefit managers’ wish for the government to broadly interpret a law that would stop states from regulating health care benefits, including dental. The ADA commented on the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing, the Role of … Read More
How Do Recent CMS Regulations Apply to Dentistry? ADA Director of Medicaid and Medicare Programs Ian Hedges and CMS Chief Dental Officer Dr. Natalia Chalmers answer many questions and explain the minutiae of the CMS regulations for dentists who accept … Read More
The Health and Human Services Commission is asking for 44 exceptional items in its legislative appropriations request; about two dozen are straightforward IT projects or have IT components. Modernizing the Medicaid Enterprise System is the top IT project. As a … Read More
The widening gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the real cost of providing dental care in North Carolina has reached its boiling point, according to a Sept. 19 report by Public News Service. Medicaid reimbursement rates in the state have … Read More
In April 2023, states began the process of unwinding the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision, a pandemic-era policy that protected Medicaid coverage for millions of enrollees. During the unwinding, states redetermined eligibility for everyone on the program and disenrolled those who … Read More
The Everest Ransomware Team has a new post on their leak site: Company has the last 24 hours to contact us using the instructions left.In case of silence, all data will be published More than 1 million personal EMR’s + … Read More
Football is back in Texas. And so is the legislature – even though their session has ended. The Longhorns and Texans are off to hot starts, and the legislature is putting in the early work to deliver a win for … Read More
Children in Texas are more likely to be uninsured than children in the rest of the United States. A report by the American Community Survey, most commonly known for conducting the U.S. Census, examined the number of Americans insured versus … Read More
CMS is suspending new enrollment for a Centene Medicare Advantage subsidiary in Missouri after the company failed to meet the required medical loss ratio for three years in a row. MA plans are required to spend at least 85% of … Read More
A House of Representatives subcommittee held a hearing Sept. 10 to discuss ways to protect and improve a law that regulates self-funded benefit plans, including dental. The Committee on Education & the Workforce, a subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and … Read More
Two states have enacted new dental benefit laws, both of which have been supported by the ADA’s State Public Affairs program. Pennsylvania passed legislation that prohibits dental insurers from adopting a policy of paying participating dentists using only virtual credit … Read More
About 25.1 million people have been disenrolled from Medicaid as of Aug. 23, according to new data from KFF. KFF has been tracking Medicaid enrollment since May 3, 2023, after the continuous enrollment requirement enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic ended … Read More
Utah has the highest number of dental assistants per capita out of any state at 180.94 assistants for every 100,000 residents. California has the highest number of dental assistants in total, with 146.23 assistants per capita. Data on the number … Read More
The U.S. is now in need of 10,046 dental practitioners to fill shortage areas across the U.S., according to new data from the Health Resources & Services Administration. The HRSA updated its Health Workforce Shortage Areas dashboard Sept. 10., listing … Read More
The ADA has joined with 150 other trade associations in supporting legislation to delay the Corporate Transparency Act’s year-end filing deadline by one year. Rep. Zachary Nunn, R-Iowa, introduced H.R. 9278 to provide relief to many small businesses subjected to … Read More
California, the state with the highest number of dental professional shortage areas, has disenrolled the second highest number of Medicaid recipients, according to data from KFF and the Health Resources and Services Administration. KFF has been tracking Medicaid enrollment since … Read More
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the promotion of Austin Kinghorn to Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy. “Throughout his time at the Office of the Attorney General, Austin has continually displayed exceptional skill, judgment, and dedication to serving the … Read More
The American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics (AAFP) and American Prosthodontic Society (APS) announced today their intent to join forces to create a new nonprofit dental organization. Both organizations’ boards of directors have approved this consolidation, which is subject to membership … Read More
There’s still time to register for Oct. 17-19 meeting SmileCon is just around the corner with countless opportunities for dentists to meet, play and learn. The meeting, which takes place Oct. 17-19 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention … Read More
Texas Capital Bancshares agreed to buy a $400 million portfolio of exposure to health-care companies as it presses ahead with a strategic plan to expand offerings and boost efficiencies — which also resulted in some layoffs in the third quarter. … Read More
WELLESLEY, Mass., Aug. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Sun Life U.S. has selected the six recipients of the 2024 Health Access Grants, awarded to organizations addressing health and wellness issues in communities that often lack access to care. Launched as the … Read More
The computer systems run by the consulting giant Deloitte that millions of Americans rely on for Medicaid and other government benefits are prone to errors that can take years and hundreds of millions of dollars to update. While states wait … Read More
DALLAS — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here. As the Texas A&M University System pumps tens of millions of dollars into its North Texas campuses, the next facility … Read More
Two states have enacted new dental benefit laws, both of which have been supported by the ADA’s State Public Affairs program. Pennsylvania passed legislation that prohibits dental insurers from adopting a policy of paying participating dentists using only virtual credit … Read More
(Bloomberg) — Centene Corp. shares fell the most in a year after the insurer released a projection for members in its Medicaid program that disappointed investors. Membership in the joint state-federal health program for low-income people will be about 13 … Read More
Join the American Heart Association for an informational session Sept. 5 to learn how to get involved in a new effort aimed at improving heart health screenings and referrals in the dental office. The Healthy Smiles, Healthy Hearts initiative hopes … Read More
With open enrollment on the Affordable Care Act exchanges just a few months away, the feds are investing $100 million in navigators to assist people in securing coverage. The grants will go to 44 organizations operating in states that use … Read More
New data has identified the states where the highest percentage of residents lack health insurance — with Texas ranking first. The analysis from personal injury attorneys Bader Scott examined the latest data from the United States Census Bureau, highlighting significant … Read More
