Medicaid Dental Help Expanded To Adults

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and D.C. Council member David A. Catania announced yesterday the expansion of dental benefits to adult Medicaid recipients in the District, affecting about 60,000 adults.

The program will be funded with $13 million earmarked for Medicaid services in the city's budget for the 2007 fiscal year and $15 million for fiscal 2008, Catania said during a news conference at a Northwest Washington clinic run by the community organization So Others Might Eat.

Fenty said after the news conference that the government has a responsibility to support So Others Might Eat and other organizations that provide health care to residents. He said access to dental care and knowledge about treatment is crucial.

"I don't think most residents are aware of the extent of problems that can arise from not having oral health coverage," said Fenty (D).

Dental health and the availability of services received widespread attention when a Prince George's County boy, Deamonte Driver, 12, died Feb. 25 after an infection from an abscessed tooth spread to his brain. The boy's family had problems finding a dentist who accepted Medicaid.

The D.C. Council approved an expansion in dental coverage for low-income children for fiscal 2007, but federal officials approved the change through the Medicaid program only in April. The impact was immediate, increasing eligibility to recipients with incomes at 300 percent of the federal poverty level, up from 200 percent -- $39,000 for a single mother with one child. Several thousand more youngsters now have access to Medicaid-reimbursed dental care, city officials estimate.

Dental care for adults previously was not covered under the Medicaid plan, leading to sometimes years-long gaps between dental visits. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 27.8 percent of adults in the District in 2004 had not visited the dentist or a dental clinic within the past year.

The plan now includes two general dental examinations and routine maintenance cleanings each year, fillings, surgical services and X-rays.

Caryn Marks, a policy analyst for the Kaiser Family Foundation, said nine states provided full dental coverage to adults on Medicaid as of 2006. Seven states provided no coverage, and the others had either emergency or partial coverage.

"This is truly an important part of health care that is often ignored," said Sharon Baskerville, executive director of the D.C. Primary Care Association.

Catania (I-At Large) called the plan a "wise investment" in promoting preventive dental care. He cited a study showing that it is 10 times more costly to provide emergency dental care rather than preventive.

"This is not only a lifesaving but a cost-saving measure," he said.

Oral hygiene can also have an impact on other quality-of-life indicators, Catania and Marks said. They said consequences of bad oral health can lead to decreased productivity and difficulty finding employment.

Staff writer Susan Levine contributed to this report.