Dentists open wide and say, "Aaahh … no," to Gov. Pawlenty's budget health cuts
The Minnesota Dental Association said today that it's worried Minnesotans will be negatively affected by the budget plan proposed this week by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
MDA President Dr. Lee Jess said: “Gov, Pawlenty’s proposed budget cuts will further restrict access to oral health care at a time families need it the most. And the proposed cuts will have the greatest impact on those whose oral health is most fragile.”
The group said the proposal will:
• Eliminate dental care for needy adults. Care for children remains only because it is required by the federal government.
• Eliminate a widely acclaimed program to encourage dentists to provide critical care to needy children and adults. Known as the Critical Access Provider Payment Program, this successful initiative has allowed dentists to treat even more patients on public assistance.
• Eliminate the Health Care Access Fund but keep the tax on dentists and others in place, diverting those funds to the general fund.
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Comments (1)
The dental association concerns are valid, but what's not stated is how hard it is to find dentists who will see MA clients under the current structure.
Some dentists volunteer at shelters, Head Start sites, etc., and others continue to serve long-time patients who become eligible for MA or MnCare, but they won't accept new clients. Dentists as a group are more reluctant to accept MA contracts than most other providers.
Two of the county-operated MA health plans are more generous in reimbursements than private MA plans or fee-for-service MA, so access is better in those locals. In most parts of the state, MA recipients of all ages rely heavily on care from dental students on mobile teams, operating in public clinics.