[NASW Alaska Chapter Listserve] Action Alert HB 105 Medicaid for Adult Dental Services

[Randy Magen]

LEGISLATIVE ALERT
HB 105, MEDICAID FOR ADULT DENTAL SERVICES

HB 105 will add adult dental services to the list of optional services 
provided by the Alaska Medicaid Program. The bill has successfully 
passed the House and has only one referral in the Senate--SFIN

The bill is scheduled for a hearing, Tuesday, May 2nd, at 9am.

ACTION: Email members of the Senate Finance Committee, especially if 
they represent you in the Legislature. Request that the Committee 
support and pass HB 105 from committee as soon as possible.

SFIN committee members:
Email : Senator Lyda Green
Email : Senator Gary Wilken
Email : Senator Con Bunde
Email : Senator Fred Dyson
Email : Senator Bert Stedman
Email : Senator Lyman Hoffman
Email : Senator Donny Olson

The following talking points have been developed by the Alaska Dental 
Access Coalition, a broad-based, collaborative group of agencies and 
individuals concerned with improving access to dental care throughout 
the state.
This is NOT a New Program or a Form of Program Expansion
• Medicaid already pays for dental care – but only under emergency 
circumstances. This model results in high costs for both the State of 
Alaska and for the patient. The Medicaid for Adult Dental bills allow 
the state to restructure the way dental services are provided and move 
the focus towards the less costly preventive services.
Focus on Prevention
• Healthy smiles = improvement in employment opportunities. Decayed or 
missing teeth can be a significant factor in employability and/or job 
advancement. Welfare recipients who received rehabilitative dental 
treatment (including fillings, extractions, and dentures) were “…twice 
as likely to receive favorable or neutral employment outcomes as they 
were to receive unfavorable employment outcomes.”
• Improvement in dental care access helps those most in need. The 
American Dental Association recommends adult preventive and restorative 
dental services be included in all state Medicaid programs. Tribal 
health programs and community health centers share this service 
expansion initiative and stand ready to implement increased dental care 
to those most in need.
Reduction in Medicaid Expenses
• Prevention = reduction in Medicaid expenses for adult emergency care. 
Currently, Medicaid dental services are limited to expensive emergency 
care for relief of pain and acute infection only and often include 
extraction of permanent teeth. Lack of prevention leads to costly care 
and future emergencies.
• Possible reduction in Medicaid expenses for clients with chronic 
diseases. Studies show links between oral health and other 
systemic/chronic disease including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• Possible reduction in Medicaid expenses for children with poor birth 
outcomes. Maternal periodontal disease is linked with pre-term, low 
birth-weight (PTLBW) births. One recent study indicated women with 
periodontal disease are 7.5 times more likely to have a PTLBW baby.
• Annual maximum cap would control costs. An annual per adult cap 
($1,150 per adult) encourages the dentist and client to discuss 
priorities and treatment options and allows Alaskans to receive a 
complete set of dentures over a two-year period.

Improved Overall Health
• Alaskan children will experience better dental health and less dental 
infection. Studies show increased risks of early childhood caries in 
infants with mothers/caregivers who have active dental decay due to 
transmission of bacteria.
• Alaskan adults will experience less dental decay and periodontal 
disease. While much of the focus on dental decay is on children, adults 
remain at high risk for two common health problems: dental decay and 
periodontal disease. Cancer treatment and medications that reduce saliva 
flow can further elevate risk for oral diseases.



-- 
Randy H. Magen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
School of Social Work
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
(907) 786-6901
FAX: (907) 786-6912
http://afrhm1.uaa.alaska.edu