With Kentucky's recent Medicaid expansion to cover dentures for adult patients, dentists in the state are having trouble keeping up with demand, according to an Aug. 30 report by The Sentinel Echo.

The Hartford and Beam Benefits have partnered to integrate dental benefits for small employers. 

Medicaid patients in Indiana are finding it difficult to receive treatment amid a shortage of dentists and fewer dentists working under the state program, the Indianapolis Star reported Aug. 24.

The Medicaid fee-for-service reimbursement for child dental care services as a percentage of dentist charges is the highest in Delaware, with a reimbursement percentage of 78.9.

The Medicaid fee-for-service reimbursement for adult dental care services as a percentage of dentist charges is the highest in Delaware, with a reimbursement percentage of 76.9.

The amount of Medicaid dental coverage provided to adults varies by state, according to data released from CMS in March. 

Pamela Sparks Stein, DMD, dean of the University of Pikeville (Ky.) College of Dental Medicine, recently testified before a state legislative committee in support of increased Medicaid services, the Appalachian News-Express reported Aug. 17.

Cigna Healthcare is making at-home oral health scans available to its dental customers at no cost. 

Guardian informed about 1,500 small businesses in Massachusetts that it will not sell policies to companies with fewer than 25 employees once the state's medical loss ratio is implemented in January, the Boston Globe reported Aug. 11. 

Nebraska legislators are working to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates for dentists again after a slight raise this year, the Flatwater Free Press reported Aug. 10. 

Low reimbursement rates are keeping Nebraska dentists from accepting more Medicaid patients, making it difficult for patients to access care, the Flatwater Free Press reported Aug. 10.

Dental practice expenses rose higher than revenue in 2022, according to data from the American Dental Association.

Ameritas is now offering a lifetime deductible to new tailored group dental plans at no additional cost. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law to provide more clarity to dentists on what type of dental benefit plan they are dealing with.

Twenty-six percent of dental practices have an in-office dental plan, according to a recent poll by the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute. 

Medi-Cal and the California Department of Health Care Services launched Sealants for a Healthy Smile, a campaign to promote the use of sealants as a preventive measure against tooth decay. 

Here are six regulatory and legislative proposals, bills and acts impacting the dental insurance and benefits industry that Becker's has reported on since June 14:

The North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics is expecting an increase in patients as individuals lose Medicaid benefits after the unwinding of pandemic rules.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, which has served as legal counsel to Delta Dental of California, was hit with a cyberattack.

CMS is considering adding new dental codes for ASCs and assigning codes to ambulatory payment classifications in its proposed 2024 hospital outpatient prospective payment system and ASC payment system rule.