Alabama dentists have asked legislators to provide emergency funding as they lose money on Medicaid services, al.com reported Feb. 25.
Six notes:
1. The Alabama Academy of Pediatric Dentistry said current reimbursement rates are causing dentists to lose money on procedures and struggle to pay staff.
2. Keri Miller, DMD, told al.com that dentists are currently being reimbursed about 44% less than they were in 2010 when accounting for inflation.
3. Dr. Miller also said she lost two of her hygienists and cannot afford to replace them, leading her to see fewer patients and increase her waitlist.
4. Barry Burgess, DMD, told al.com that it’s hard to keep his practice open and he can no longer perform certain surgeries for children under Medicaid because reimbursement rates are too low.
5. The state's Medicaid program was allocated $955 million for 2025, a $92 million increase from last year, but Dr. Miller said the budget is still not enough.
6. Alabama Medicaid told al.com in a statement that reimbursements were raised in 2021 and 2023, but did not indicate whether rates would be increased for the upcoming year.