Dental health plays a vital role in a person’s day-to-day life. The Government, on its part, has made sure that people should get quality, affordable healthcare through various policies. Over 28 million people in the U.S. have got benefited through Medicaid. It is the nation’s public health care system that helps people in the lower and middle-income segment get high-quality treatment at an affordable cost. In the United States of America, one in five persons is benefited from Medicaid. While Medicaid offers essential medical and dental benefits, it can also be confusing and hard for people to deal with it.
Medicaid dental basics
According to the Medicaid website, States have the flexibility to determine what dental benefits are provided to adult Medicaid enrollees. While most states provide at least emergency dental services for adults, less than half of the states currently provide comprehensive dental care. There are no minimum requirements for adult dental coverage.
Before fixing up a Dentist, it is important to check with him/her whether they accept Medicaid for treatment. Only 20% of dentists nationwide accept Medicaid. Knowing about the Medicaid policy of your Medicaid dentist is also very important.
As already stated, Medicaid benefits vary from one State to another. For example, in one State, a Dentist might accept to offer only emergency benefits, but in another state, Medicaid dentists would offer more services.
There is yet another factor that we need to keep in mind, in some states, Medicaid dental benefits are not required for adults, but in some other states are required. States have the flexibility to determine the medical benefits provided to adults enrolled for Medicaid. For example, In Georgia, Medicaid dentists provide Comprehensive dental service for people under age 21, and for people above the age of 21 years, it offers only emergency benefits.
The number of years for the Plan also varies, and Dentists who accept Medicaid calculate the Medicaid dental benefits in two different ways; in some states, Medicaid dental benefits are renewed annually on the anniversary of enrollment. In some states like Colorado, Medicaid is renewed on July 1st.
Medicaid for children
Medicaid covers a comprehensive set of benefits called the Early and Periodic Screening Diagnostic and Treatment benefit (EPSDT). A referral to a dentist is required for every child in accordance with the periodicity schedule set by a state. The basic services for children include maintenance of teeth, Restoration of teeth, and relief of pain, and screening the child from infection. If a condition requiring treatment is found during screening, The Medicaid dentist of that State should provide necessary service even if that service is not included in the benefits.
The EPSDT benefits require the Medicaid dentist to provide all services needed for the child if it is medically necessary.
Dental services must be provided at intervals, as indicated by the medical necessity for the child to determine the cause of illness. For this, a parent is responsible for checking whether the Medicaid dentist near them offers these benefits or not, and it is responsible for them to know about these policies, rules for better dental health care for their children.
As responsible parents and taxpayers, it is our right to avail of these Medicaid dental benefits. If you have Medicaid dental benefits, make sure you take advantage of the policy and maintain your oral health through a Medicaid dentist. If you need help, you can always use your State’s medical website to find a Medicaid dentist near your locality.
