Virginia recently passed a new state budget that includes a 30 percent increase in Medicaid reimbursements for dental procedures.
Five things to know:
1. The new budget will allocate more than $116 million in new state and federal funding to fill a gap in reimbursements that have not been increased since 2005, the Virginia Dental Association said June 22.
2. VDA leaders estimated the cost of providing dental care has increased by more than 60 percent since 2005, while Medicaid reimbursement rates remained stagnant.
3. More than 924,000 adults in the state who receive Medicaid have access to comprehensive dental services under a benefit that began in July 2021. Since its enactment, 158,237 adults have received some form of dental treatment.
4. The budget also includes funding to cover general anesthesia and hospitalization for Medicaid-eligible children under 10 who receive dental services and require such services.
5. The new budget goes into effect July 1.