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2.8 Million Adults in California Set to Lose Access to Dental Health Services
Oakland, CA (May 19, 2008) – Thousands of low-income Bay Area residents and more than 2.8 million adults in California stand to lose access to dental health services due to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to eliminate Denti-Cal (Medi-Cal dental service benefits), it was announced today by the Oral Health Access Council, which released its new impact report – Adult Dental Medi-Cal Cuts: Costs & Benefits - at La Clinica de La Raza in Oakland. The report was funded by The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation.
The report shows that while Denti-Cal’s elimination would result in only a minor reduction in state outlays, it would cause the loss of at least $115 million of federal matching funds, substitute more expensive services for less expensive treatments and preventive services, and exacerbate the problems of the safety net by placing more pressure on community clinics and emergency rooms.
“I strongly encourage Gov. Schwarzenegger to reconsider cuts to adult dental health services for low-income people,” said Sen. Cedillo, who represents Los Angeles District 22, and who is a chief supporter of the report on Adult Dental Care. “The amount of savings in dollars is minimal; the amount of suffering for the poor will be enormous.”
Alameda County clinics alone registered more than 68,000 dental visits in 2007. The elimination of the adult Denti-Cal program will likely result in the elimination of dental programs outright for some of the County’s community clinics, as they are forced to endure a loss of more than $2.2 million in Medi-Cal reimbursements.
“These cuts and the resulting loss of Medi-Cal dollars will mean that at least two of our clinics will not be able to sustain their dental programs and will no longer be able to provide dental services to other, non-adult Medi-Cal populations, such as children and the developmentally disabled,” said Dr. Ariane Terlet, medical director at La Clinica de La Raza.
It is expected that clinics throughout the Bay Area will see a reduction in dental health programs.
Eliminating adult Denti-Cal would have significant ramifications statewide, including lower participation by dentists in Denti-Cal and fewer children receiving oral health services. Ultimately, it would create significant oral health and medical problems in pregnant women, as well as problems for low-income, disabled and elderly adults, according to Wynne Grossman, executive director of the Dental Health Foundation. “Oral health status affects overall health and well being, as well as employability and productivity,” Grossman said. “Adverse health outcomes associated with poor oral health include avoidable pain and suffering as well as respiratory disease, diabetes, stroke and heart disease. Poor oral health also leads to loss of employment and reduced hours of work due to ailments and associated dental visits.”
Adult Denti-Cal coverage includes diagnostic and preventive dental services, emergency treatment for control of pain and infection, fillings and tooth extractions, root canal treatments, and prosthetic appliances.
“The impact of the Governor’s proposed cuts to Medi-Cal adult dental care will extend much further than Medi-Cal adult population and will have consequences that far outweigh any savings to the state,” said Carmela Castellano-Garcia, president and CEO of the California Primary Care Association. “Once again it is California’s most vulnerable populations and those that serve them that are forced to bear the burden of fixing our state’s fiscal crisis.”
2001, the California Primary Care Association (CPCA) and the Dental Health Foundation (DHF) together launched the Oral Health Access Council (OHAC), a major campaign aimed at solving California's oral disease epidemic. OHAC is a multi-lateral, non-partisan effort directed toward improving the oral health status of the state's traditionally underserved and vulnerable populations. With a membership of over 25 organizations representing a diversity of oral health stakeholders, OHAC has become California's most broad-based and unified voice for oral health.
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