Boost in Dental Fees Does Little to Improve Access to Care for Medicaid Enrollees

Minnesota legislators wanted to improve access to dental care for the state’s most vulnerable populations so, in 2021, they doubled Medicaid reimbursement rates for dentists, hoping more practices would accept patients covered by the state’s Medical Assistance Program. Unfortunately, 2 years later, the fee increase has not made much of an impact. Since the reimbursement boost, only 46 additional dentists in the state accept patients covered by Medical Assistance. Minnesota also has 53 counties in which two or fewer dental providers accept patients with Medical Assistance coverage. Click here to read more.