Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Dental Services Are Coming Back For California's Low-Income Adults
Dental Services Are Coming Back For California's Low-Income Adults
By Daniela Hernandez
<...>
Last June, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill to allow all adults on Medi-Cal back into its dental program, known as Denti-Cal. (Medi-Cal is California’s version of Medicaid, the state and federal health plan for the poor.) Most adults – with the exception of patients in long-term care and some pregnant women — had been cut out of the Denti-Cal program five years ago amid the Great Recession.
The renewed coverage includes some preventive and restorative procedures, including routine exams, X-rays, cleanings, crowns, and full dentures. But the state limits the circumstances under which procedures like extractions and root canals can be paid for and is not picking up the tab for partial dentures and implants, which had been covered five years ago.
An estimated 1.6 million adults already on Medi-Cal are expected to be covered by June 2015.
In addition, roughly 1.3 million more people will qualify for Denti-Cal in 2015 because of changes imposed under the federal Affordable Care Act. The act extended Medicaid to nearly all adults living at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level –about $16,000 a year for a single person. Although the federal law does not mandate dental coverage for anyone but children, these adults are eligible for Denti-Cal under the law Brown signed in June.
The changes will bring the total number of people in the Denti-Cal program to about 10 million by June 2015, raising annual costs from $682 million to about $942 million, most of which will be paid by the federal government.
- more -
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2014/February/20/California-dental-insurance-Medicaid-low-income-adults.aspx
By Daniela Hernandez
<...>
Last June, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill to allow all adults on Medi-Cal back into its dental program, known as Denti-Cal. (Medi-Cal is California’s version of Medicaid, the state and federal health plan for the poor.) Most adults – with the exception of patients in long-term care and some pregnant women — had been cut out of the Denti-Cal program five years ago amid the Great Recession.
The renewed coverage includes some preventive and restorative procedures, including routine exams, X-rays, cleanings, crowns, and full dentures. But the state limits the circumstances under which procedures like extractions and root canals can be paid for and is not picking up the tab for partial dentures and implants, which had been covered five years ago.
An estimated 1.6 million adults already on Medi-Cal are expected to be covered by June 2015.
In addition, roughly 1.3 million more people will qualify for Denti-Cal in 2015 because of changes imposed under the federal Affordable Care Act. The act extended Medicaid to nearly all adults living at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level –about $16,000 a year for a single person. Although the federal law does not mandate dental coverage for anyone but children, these adults are eligible for Denti-Cal under the law Brown signed in June.
The changes will bring the total number of people in the Denti-Cal program to about 10 million by June 2015, raising annual costs from $682 million to about $942 million, most of which will be paid by the federal government.
- more -
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2014/February/20/California-dental-insurance-Medicaid-low-income-adults.aspx
Obamacare fulfilling promise to older Americans
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024521045
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
