NEW REPORT SHOWS DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN OHIO’S DENTAL MEDICAID PROGRAM
A new report from the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute shows the dramatic improvement state policymakers have made to the Ohio dental Medicaid program. Ohio’s dental Medicaid reimbursements have gone from near the bottom in the country to near the top as a result of a significant increase in funding starting earlier this year.
According to ADA data, in 2021, Ohio’s Medicaid reimbursements for children’s dental services were on average 44% of private insurance reimbursement. At that time, Ohio Medicaid’s reimbursements for children’s dental services ranked 42 out of 50 states.
The situation was dire. Safety net dental clinics were closing. Existing Medicaid dentists were forced to stop taking new patients with Medicaid dental benefits because reimbursements were not even covering the cost of overhead to provide the services. Some long-time Medicaid dentists stopped treating Medicaid patients altogether.
In response, the ODA led a coordinated lobbying effort involving a diverse set of advocates – including safety net dental clinics, social service agencies, patient advocates and many others – in educating policymakers on the drastic need to reform the dental Medicaid program, especially by significantly increasing reimbursements for dental services. Policymakers heard that message loud and clear. Last year, the Ohio General Assembly passed, and Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law, the state’s budget for fiscal years 2024-25, which included historic increases in funding for the dental Medicaid program. New reimbursement rates for Medicaid dental services, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, increased on average by 93%.
Today, according to a new report from the ADA, under these new rates, Ohio Medicaid reimbursements for children’s dental services are 87% of average private dental insurance reimbursements for the same services. Ohio now ranks eighth out of 50 states in terms of Medicaid reimbursements for children’s dental services.
The situation is similar for adult dental services where Ohio Medicaid now reimburses at 82.4% of private insurance reimbursements on average, placing Ohio at fifth out of 50 states.
ODA President Dr. Hal Jeter, a general dentist from South Point, praises the progress Ohio has made with its dental Medicaid program, saying “I am proud of the ODA for leading the advocacy efforts on this issue and appreciative of policymakers who are investing state resources in the oral health of our most vulnerable citizens.” Jeter, who has treated Medicaid patients for his entire professional career, encourages dentists across the state to consider adding Medicaid beneficiaries to their patient mix, noting that “with reimbursements now rivaling private insurance rates, every dentist should take a fresh look at participating in Ohio’s dental Medicaid program.”
