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.
Bill Collins, DMD, a dentist at a nonprofit clinic, is reimbursed $656 by Medicaid for dentures, which does not come close to covering the clinic's base cost of $1,100.
This forces the clinic to make up the difference from other sources — a strategy which, for many small private practices, is difficult to manage.
Kentucky expanded dental benefits under Medicaid in October 2022, but reimbursements have not been increased for 30 years, according to Stephen Robertson, DMD, executive director of the Kentucky Dental Association.
Dentists in the state also have to deal with six separate managed care organizations, which are responsible for most of the 1.6 million residents enrolled in Medicaid.
The organizations negotiate rates and fees with the dentists, sometimes below the state recommended fee schedule.
Without a hike in reimbursement rates, many dentists will continue to refrain from providing care to Medicaid patients, leading to poor oral health through the state, according to the report.