Washington State Medicaid Program Cuts Some Adult Dental Procedures

Washington state's Medicaid program on Aug. 1 will eliminate adult dental coverage for some dental procedures to save $22.8 million over the next two years, the Seattle Times reports. The eliminated coverage was prompted by a "new, tighter state budget," the Times reports. The state reduced its Medicaid dental budget for the next two years by 26% to $65.9 million. The state will discontinue Medicaid payments for adult dental procedures, including crowns and back-teeth root canals, orthotic appliances such as mouth guards, and temporomandibular joint treatments. The move will not affect children's dental services or adult preventive services, such as check-ups, gum-disease treatments and partial- and limited-replacement dentures. John Davis, a dentist and consultant to the state Medicaid Assistance Administration, which administers the Medicaid program, said the procedures for which the state will no longer pay have been the most "overused" by dentists who treat Medicaid beneficiaries. Davis added that the dental program "still covers almost everything." The state also is tightening its Medicaid eligibility rules and income qualifications. According to Jim Stevenson, a spokesperson for the state Medicaid program, Washington state next year will begin charging $15 to $25 monthly premiums for children enrolled in Medicaid (Song, Seattle Times, 7/11).