Michigan builds on access success
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Posted June 6, 2006 |
By Jennifer Garvin Lansing, Mich.—The Michigan Dental Association's Healthy Kids Dental program, considered one of the nation's top models for improving access to dental care for children, has expanded.
On May 1, the program added 22 counties, thus enabling 43,000 additional low-income children to receive dental services and increasing the number of children affected by 25 percent. The program now reaches more than 217,000 children and includes 59 of the state's 83 counties.
The MDA's Healthy Kids Dental is administered by Delta Dental Plan and is partnered with Michigan's state Medicaid program. The program works by reimbursing dentists who care for children according to the same standard procedures and payment mechanisms as its private plans. Dentists do not have to be a Delta Dental provider to participate, but according to Kris Nicholoff, MDA assistant executive director, 90 percent of Michigan's dentists are members.
In 2004, the ADA named Healthy Kids Dental one of the nation's top five programs for improving access to dental care to low-income populations. The program began in 2000.
According to The Detroit News, "Healthy Kids Dental has resulted in a 50 percent increase in children on Medicaid utilizing their benefits in counties where the program is in place."
"The 6,000-member MDA takes great pride in Michigan's expansion of this one-of-a-kind dental program, which serves as the best model in the entire nation," Mr. Nicholoff said. "Michigan Gov. [Jennifer] Granholm clearly recognizes that oral care is indeed primary care. We stand ready to continue our partnership in this great state."
The MDA eventually hopes to expand the program to include everyone in the state.
"The legislature has been very cooperative," said Dr. Raymond Gist, ADA 9th District trustee, and former MDA president. "Once they saw how effective it was, they wanted to expand. We are going to keep working until every county is covered. That's our goal."
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