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.
11 notes:
1. The Indiana Dental Association and other dentists hoped the state's most recent legislative session would include a more substantial increase in dental care reimbursement rates, but they were only given a 10 percent bump. Some rates will also be lowered.
2. Doug Bush, executive director of the Indiana Dental Association, said the low rates could lead even more dentists to stop providing care under the program.
3. In addition to low reimbursement rates, challenges with insurers denying claims and patients not making appointments has also led some dentists to leave the program.
4. Fifty-two of Indiana's 92 counties are designated as dental health professional shortage areas, according to a 2022 report from Bloomington-based Indiana University. Some counties have zero dentists, while others have fewer than five dentists or dental hygienists.
5. About 40 percent of Indiana dentists surveyed by the university said they treat Medicaid patients, while about 35 percent said they accept new Medicaid patients.
6. Indiana is projected to see a 20 percent increase in demand for dentists within the next decade as older dentists retire.
7. John Roberts, DDS, told the news organization that the number of patients he sees under Medicaid has increased as well, from 20 percent several years ago to almost 60 percent now.
8. Harvey Weingarten, DDS, associate dean for clinical affairs and an assistant professor in comprehensive biomedical sciences at the IU School of Dentistry, told IndyStar that fewer young dentists establish their own practices. They instead opt for joining group practices or corporate entities that often don't accept Medicaid.
9. Leila Alter, DDS, Indiana Oral Health Coalition chair, said dentists should wait to see the final fee schedule before deciding whether to leave the state's Medicaid program because some services will see a larger rate increase.
10. The Family and Social Services Administration, which oversees the program, is meeting with dentists to decide how to implement the increase and determine which services should have rates increased or decreased.
11. The fee schedule could be finalized in September.