#Dental toolkit full

2019) : This fact sheet offers an overview of the children's dental services covered in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Fact sheet: Helping kids grow up healthy and reach their dreams with dental coverage in Medicaid and CHIP (Nov. Consider sharing this with your members of Congress (House and Senate) and your state legislators.Ģ. Fast Facts about Oral Health & Dental Coverage: This two-page document shows why oral health is so important, shares the serious consequences of poor oral health and explores the critical need for affordable coverage.

Basic Resources to Support Your Advocacyġ. A Tool-Kit for Health and Children's Advocates I. Because nearly 4 in 10 children are insured dentally through Medicaid or CHIP, any changes to these programs could have a major impact on kids' oral health. In other words, coverage opens the door to children receiving the care they need to stay healthy. Recent research adds to the evidence showing how crucial dental coverage is for a child's health.Ī recently published study showed that children with public or private dental insurance had more dental appointments and fewer unmet dental needs. Uninsured kids had the fewest dental appointments, and their parents were most likely to report unmet dental health needs due to cost. Why Dental Coverage MattersĪs more and more children have gained dental coverage in recent decades, the rate of untreated tooth decay has fallen among children - even among low-income kids. The ACA filled a significant gap that used to exist because many working parents had employers who did not offer dental coverage at all or did not make it available to their employees' children. It also increased the number of adults with dental coverage. The Affordable Care Act, sometimes called Obamacare, has enabled many families with incomes too high for Medicaid/CHIP eligibility to secure dental coverage for their kids. This historic move came after Congress extended CHIP for 6 years in January, and after letting its federal funding expire on Septem. Nine million children and more than 300,000 pregnant women count on CHIP every day.

#Dental toolkit full

At the same time, Medicaid allows states the flexibility to develop innovations that are likely to increase the number of children who receive dental services or to deliver services in a more cost-effective manner.įederal lawmakers renewed CHIP for a full 10 years on February 9, 2018.

This establishes a solid benchmark of care for kids.

More than 45 million children count on Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for their medical and dental coverage. Medicaid provides children with a unique set of EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment) benefits. For background, see CDHP's report, Medicaid Dental Guidance to States: An Opportunity to Aim for Equity.įind the recording, slides, and related resources under the WEBINAR section below. Featured resource: 'Promoting equity in children's dental care through Medicaid and CHIP 'ĬDHP held a webinar in April 2019 addressing the opportunity for states to use federal guidance to improve children's access to individualized oral health care in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.