Please Support a Comprehensive Medicaid Adult Dental Benefit
FL State Sen. Osgood, FL State Rep. Dottie Joseph, Senate Health Policy Committee, Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee
For Floridians 21 years and older Medicaid only covers emergency dental services and procedures essential to prepare the mouth for dentures.
There is no clarity about what, if any, non-emergency dental benefits are provided through Florida Medicaid.
Only parents of dependent children who earn less than 27% of the federal poverty level ($486 per month for a family of three) qualify for Medicaid in Florida. Single adults do not qualify for Medicaid in Florida at all.
What Can Florida Do?
Florida should expand the minimum adult dental benefits provided by Medicaid to include:
Disease prevention and restoration
Emergency treatment
Routine diagnostic care (dental cleanings, exams and x-rays)
Basic dental services (fillings and extractions)
Major dental services (root canals, crowns and dentures and other dental protheses)
To:
FL State Sen. Osgood, FL State Rep. Dottie Joseph, Senate Health Policy Committee, Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee
From:
[Your Name]
Dear leaders,
As Floridians we urge you to support the passage of a comprehensive Medicaid adult dental benefit.
Oral health is critical to a person's overall health, but for too many low-income Floridians it is out of reach. Currently, Medicaid only covers emergency services which usually makes extractions the only option for treatment. Too many Floridians are having to face the choice between pulling teeth or living with pain because they can't afford appropriate treatment.
Florida should expand the minimum adult dental benefits provided by Medicaid to include: disease prevention and restoration, emergency treatment, routine diagnostic care (ex: dental cleanings, exams and x-rays), basic dental services (ex: fillings and extractions), and major dental services (ex: root canals, crowns and dentures and other dental protheses).
Thank you for fighting on behalf of Floridians!