The Hawaii legislature is considering options to fund adult dental coverage under Medicaid after not having a dental benefit in more than a decade, ABC affiliate KITV reported April 19.
Seven things to know:
1. Hawaii cut dental care funding for adult Medicaid recipients in 2009 when the state was struggling financially during the Great Recession.
2. A study from the University of Hawai'i found that 29,536 adults ages 21 and older visited the emergency department for dental-related issues between 2016-2020, nearly half of whom were Medicaid beneficiaries.
3. The state legislature has opted to include funding for Medicaid dental coverage in its state budget, but it is deciding between three different funding options ranging from basic to comprehensive coverage.
4. The state's first option would only cover prevention and oral disease control measures, such as diagnostics and cleanings. The second would focus on oral disease control and restoration of chewing functions, and the third would provide comprehensive coverage of most dental procedures with some limits. The cost of each option ranges between $10,195,082 and $47,384,075 in state and federal funding.
5. An April 7 news release from the Senate Committee on Ways and Means indicated that the legislature selected the second coverage option, the news station reported.
6. The legislature is expected to make final funding decisions in the coming weeks.
7. In a 2021 survey by the Hawai'i Public Health Institute, 92 percent of Hawaiian voters strongly agreed that preventative dental benefits should be included in adult Medicaid coverage.