Access to oral health services is an important underpinning of good health overall. It has been shown to reduce the incidence and severity of a range of serious diseases and conditions, and to enhance functionality. Because there are significant disparities in oral health care between low-income and other Americans, federal and state policymakers have long been concerned about ensuring access to dental services for Medicaid beneficiaries. In recent years, a number of states have examined their Medicaid dental programs and implemented reforms to improve oral health care for beneficiaries. In some states, these reforms have included changes in the administration of the Medicaid dental program, with the goal of improving both access to and use of services. To learn from these states' experiences, Health Management Associates (HMA) was asked by the California HealthCare Foundation to examine how several states administer their dental programs and to share insights. The purpose of this project was to identify key considerations that could help California improve access to oral health care services for the Medi-Cal populations.
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