The 2025 state legislative session is over and CDA enjoyed two big successes in the passage of the Dental Practice Act Sunset legislation, SB 194, and the protection of Medicaid dental rates and benefits. The changes to these laws will go into effect later this summer.
CDA was successful in passing a version of SB194 that reflected CDA members’ priorities and the voices of dental professionals across Colorado. Although SB194 was signed into law by Gov. Polis, the changes to the Practice Act do not go into effect until Aug. 6, 2025. Also, for many changes to the Act, the Colorado Dental Board must adopt rules on supervision, training, and other requirements for dentists and dental hygienists.
The passage of the bill included what turned out to be a contentious issue around accreditation, as the bill maintains and safeguards the requirement for CODA-accredited education for licensure in Colorado. The bill also makes updates to the scope of practice for dentists and dental hygienists. When looking at updates to scope, the two most important aspects are appropriate training and adequate supervision. Insistence on appropriate training is what protects the public, and oversight and supervision safeguard the integrity of the dental delivery system. CDA will have a full report on the Sunset bill in our next Journal edition, as well as posted on our website.
Medicaid dental care was at risk this year due to a huge state budget shortfall of $1.2 billion. Thanks to the advocacy of CDA and our Medicaid Committee members’ outreach to the Joint Budget Committee, we were successful in promoting the importance of access to oral healthcare through Medicaid. We defended against proposed rate cuts to Medicaid dental care and against reinstating an adult dental benefit cap. In addition to protecting dental care for Medicaid patients, the Joint Budget Committee approved an overall rate increase of 1.6% across the board for all Medicaid rates, including all Medicaid dental rates. These rate increases will go into effect on July 1, 2025. While we know that Colorado will continue to face extreme budget challenges in future legislative sessions, we are celebrating this year’s successes and appreciate the support of the Joint Budget Committee and the state legislature for oral healthcare for all Coloradans.
