September 13, 2013
The state Medicaid program recently began gathering stakeholder input on how the new adult dental benefit should be organized and what services the dental benefit should include. The new adult Medicaid dental benefit is expected to be available starting July 2014. Initial stakeholder meetings were held on Aug. 9 and Aug. 23. Topics discussed included coverage for diagnostic, preventive and restorative dental services. Four additional stakeholder meetings on various topics, including endodontic, oral surgery, prosthodontic, pediatric and orthodontic coverage, will be held this fall. Interested dentists are encouraged to participate in the stakeholder meetings.
At this time, it appears that Medicaid will seek applications from administrative service organizations (ASOs), usually private insurance plans, that are interested in managing the state’s Medicaid dental benefits. Medicaid is expected to select a single vendor to act as the ASO for both the child and adult dental benefits under Medicaid. The adult dental coverage proposed to date has been broad and inclusive. However, funding limitations may eventually limit the breadth of services available.
Upcoming stakeholder meetings include:
- Endodontic, Prosthetic and Oral Surgery Benefits: Friday, Sept. 20, 9:00 a.m.-Noon (Developmental Disabilities Resource Center, 11177 W. 8th Ave., Lakewood, CO 80215)
- Developmental Disability Population Benefits: Friday, Oct. 4, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. (location TBD)
- Orthodontic and Children’s Dental Benefits: Friday, Oct. 25, 9:00 a.m.-Noon (location TBD)
- Pediatric and Hospital-Based Dentistry: Friday, Dec. 6, 9:00 a.m.-Noon (location TBD)
We encourage dentists to attend these meetings, especially if dentists have expertise in any of the above mentioned areas. Dates and times are subject to change and up-to-date information can be obtained from the Medicaid dental benefit stakeholder Website at http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/HCPF/HCPF/1236690494893.