Dental services now available to adult Utahns enrolled in Medicaid
Utahns who are enrolled in Medicaid and are at least 21 years old are now eligible for dental care, Utah health officials announced on Tuesday.
Up until now, only certain groups of Utahns enrolled in Medicaid have been eligible for dental coverage, including children, pregnant women, adults undergoing treatment for substance use disorder, people who are blind and disabled, and adults that are 65 or older.
However, Utah's coverage expanded through the 1115 Demonstration Waiver approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this year, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services announced in a news release.
Utah becomes the first state to ban adding fluoride to drinking water
The new coverage was announced as Utah became the first state in the nation to ban adding fluoride to public drinking water. The bill, HB81, takes effect May 7.
An estimated 120,000 adult Utahns enrolled in Medicaid will now have access to dental services that may include check ups, X-rays, cleanings every six months, fillings, root canals, extractions, dentures, emergency exams for severe pain, and crowns, according to state health officials.
The new coverage will be made possible through a partnership between Utah Medicaid and the University of Utah School of Dentistry (UUSOD), which will administer and provide the care.
'After leveraging its own resources, UUSOD has stepped in to bridge a gap with the collective goal of providing high quality dental care for adults on Medicaid, ' Jen Strohecker, director of Utah Medicaid, said in a prepared statement. 'We are grateful for this strong and strategic partnership rooted in our commitment to care for all members of our community.'
The U.'s School of Dentistry has a network of more than 300 dentists in offices across the state. It also has dental providers that work at school clinics, rural clinics, and a mobile clinic van that travels to underserved areas.
Utah health officials also noted that the U.'s dentist school's provider network was 'established after identifying populations who experience barriers in accessing dental care and services as a resource for the dental profession in Utah — while not competing for patients in the private sector.'
Dentists enrolled in the U.'s network are offered a reimbursement incentive in addition to Medicaid reimbursement rates, as well as free continuing education courses, according to state health officials. They encouraged dentists who are interested in joining the network to learn more about the program on the U.'s website and apply.
'The process is streamlined, the compensations are better,' said James Bekker, associate dean of professional, community and strategic relations at UUSOD. 'Utah Medicaid is not your mother's Medicaid. This is different.'
Utahns enrolled in medicaid can also choose a dentist by browsing the Medicaid website or call 1-866-608-9422.
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