Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid's Adult Dental Coverage Gaining, But Slowly
Stateline: Adult Dental Coverage Expanding Slowly In Medicaid
At the Interfaith Dental Center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, people with dental pain can walk into a ground floor office off Bedford Avenue and get treated without an appointment. They might have to wait in a packed waiting room. But if they're in the door by 5 p.m., a dentist will see them. Residents in this low- to middle-income neighborhood likely don't realize how lucky they are. The majority of Americans have to travel miles to see a dentist who takes their insurance, particularly if they're covered by Medicaid. Many dental patients with private insurance cannot afford to pay their share of the bill. (Vestal, 6/21)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Failed Medicaid Foot Care Proposal Could Cost Taxpayers More
A proposal to include routine foot care by podiatrists for adult Medicaid recipients failed to gain the Nevada Legislature’s approval this year. But Nevada podiatrists say the state risks spending more money to address bigger problems that could be prevented. Foot care from a podiatrist is covered for children on Medicaid, and Medicare, the government program providing care to the aged, covers its recipients for such services. Foot and ankle care for adult Medicaid recipients is a covered benefit, but doctors of osteopathic medicine or a medical doctors must deliver such services. Podiatrists say they are more willing and better trained at providing routine foot, toenail and ankle care than general practitioners. (Moore, 6/21)
