Missouri Judge Temporarily Blocks Plan To Eliminate Coverage of Dental Services for Adult Medicaid Beneficiaries

A St. Louis Circuit Court judge on Aug. 21 issued a preliminary injunction to temporarily block a move by the Missouri Department of Social Services to eliminate coverage of dental services for adult Medicaid beneficiaries as part of a plan to balance the state's budget, the AP/Kansas City Star reports. In his 20-page decision, St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Timothy Wilson ruled that state law requires the social services department to provide the dental coverage. The Missouri budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 eliminated coverage of dental services -- such as extractions, fillings, root canals, gum disease treatments and preventive care -- for about 320,000 adult Medicaid beneficiaries to save the state an estimated $4.6 million for the fiscal year. However, attorney Thomas Kennedy and John Ammann, director of the St. Louis University Legal Clinic, filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Medicaid beneficiaries to "restore the benefits." According to the lawsuit, under Missouri Medicaid law, coverage for dental services "shall be made on the behalf of eligible needy persons." Wilson agreed with plaintiffs' attorneys but will not issue a final decision until after a trial (AP/Kansas City Star, 8/23).