Coverage, Financing & Access
Today, more than 45 million children have dental coverage through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Millions more have gained private coverage through health reform.
Getting more children covered through Medicaid, CHIP and new private health insurance exchanges will help more kids access dental care. CDHP monitors how states are implementing the dental provisions of the Affordable Care Act, and we developed training for navigators who assisted families seeking to buy dental coverage on state insurance exchanges.
Financing is important. The rules that state or federal programs use for paying for dental services—including reimbursement levels—can strongly influence whether children receive care and where it is provided.
CDHP supports a comprehensive, integrated dental care system based on quality outcomes for children and families, instead of a pay-per-procedure approach. We support dental providers who are monitoring and rewarding good outcomes.