USA - Dental care for poor people is long overdue in Wisconsin
Dental care for poor people is long overdue in Wisconsin
By Tribune editorial board
How important is good dental care? In a few instances, it can mean the difference between life or death.
In February, a 12-year-old suburban Washington boy died from an abscessed tooth. It started with a cavity and ended with infection and death.
Children of low-income families are more likely to get cavities and less likely to get dental care. Although dental care is supposedly covered under Wisconsin’s Medical Assistance program, the reality is that the reimbursement rate is so low that few dentists are willing to participate. Now a pilot program for La Crosse County and two other counties, seeks to show how that can be changed. It’s about time.Under current reimbursement rates, dentists are paid 40 percent of the usual fee for dental procedures. At that rate, most dentists would be losing money. So, few dentists take Medical Assistance cases. Now the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has agreed to an $8 million proposal to allow La Crosse, Brown and Racine counties to increase reimbursement from 40 percent to 70 percent for two years.
It’s a one-time proposal. At the end of the two-year period, it would be up to a bipartisan coalition of legislators — including Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse, and Reps. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, and Lee Nerison, R-Viroqua — to push for a permanent change. Rep. Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, also supported the proposal.
Even the temporary program is not a done deal. Although the Joint Finance Committee put it in its version of the state budget, the entire budget must be passed by both Houses in the Legislature. Still, it’s a victory for a coalition of legislators, dentists and others who have been arguing for a long time that the state needed to increase its reimbursement to dentists willing to provide care for low-income people.
Providing dental care to all — regardless of income — is a significant public health issue. It’s good to see progress.
In 89% fluoridated Wisconsin: NYSCOF
By Tribune editorial board
How important is good dental care? In a few instances, it can mean the difference between life or death.
In February, a 12-year-old suburban Washington boy died from an abscessed tooth. It started with a cavity and ended with infection and death.
Children of low-income families are more likely to get cavities and less likely to get dental care. Although dental care is supposedly covered under Wisconsin’s Medical Assistance program, the reality is that the reimbursement rate is so low that few dentists are willing to participate. Now a pilot program for La Crosse County and two other counties, seeks to show how that can be changed. It’s about time.Under current reimbursement rates, dentists are paid 40 percent of the usual fee for dental procedures. At that rate, most dentists would be losing money. So, few dentists take Medical Assistance cases. Now the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has agreed to an $8 million proposal to allow La Crosse, Brown and Racine counties to increase reimbursement from 40 percent to 70 percent for two years.
It’s a one-time proposal. At the end of the two-year period, it would be up to a bipartisan coalition of legislators — including Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse, and Reps. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, and Lee Nerison, R-Viroqua — to push for a permanent change. Rep. Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, also supported the proposal.
Even the temporary program is not a done deal. Although the Joint Finance Committee put it in its version of the state budget, the entire budget must be passed by both Houses in the Legislature. Still, it’s a victory for a coalition of legislators, dentists and others who have been arguing for a long time that the state needed to increase its reimbursement to dentists willing to provide care for low-income people.
Providing dental care to all — regardless of income — is a significant public health issue. It’s good to see progress.
In 89% fluoridated Wisconsin: NYSCOF
posted by Bill at
9:39 AM
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