What has Medicaid already done for US oral health?
It is acknowledged that oral health is crucial to the overall health and well-being of people. While dental caries is the most common chronic disease among adults and children in the United States, other oral diseases like tooth decay, gum disease, and oral cancer also greatly impact people’s daily life. To change the situation, Medicaid, as an insurance program, offers a number of citizen-friendly policies to make dental services more affordable, so that to improve access to dental and oral health services.
What is known based on relevant and transparent data is that Medicaid and CHIP(Children's Health Insurance Program) spending on dental services increased each year between 2018 and 2021, from $14.8 billion to $17.8 billion. This part of the expenditure has solved oral problems for so many people and encouraged the public to pay attention to their oral health.
* Data from 2023 Medicaid & CHIP Beneficiaries at a Glance: Oral Health.
For Adults
Medicaid extensively covers about 24 states to provide dental services by 2022, while other states have limited dental services. Only three states have no Medicaid coverage at all for dental services, but subsequent efforts may be taken to achieve the goal soon.
For Children
Statistically, the percentage of children and adolescents aged 1 to 20 who are enrolled in Medicaid for at least 90 consecutive days receiving dental services is also slowly increasing between 2000 and 2020. What is even more encouraging is that preventive dental services account for a much higher percentage than oral treatment, which somehow indicates that people are taking their oral health more seriously with the help of Medicaid.
For Pregnant Women
The coverage in Medicaid is designed to make it easier for people to access treatment when they need it. The oral health of pregnant women also deserves attention, and most states offer more comprehensive dental benefits for the pregnant population than for the general adult population.
* Specific policies may vary by region.
