Expanding Public Coverage for Dental Services: Pathway to Improvements or Hollow Promise?

Abstract

Growth in public sector dental benefits following passage of the are Affordable Care Act extends a national trend of expanding publicly funded benefits program. This paper contrasts the performance of California's Medicaid dental program with progress in other states, outlines major reasons for performance gaps, raises concerns about recent policymakers' decisions and questions whether expanding coverage without addressing long-standing shortcomings represents a step forward or a catalyst deterioration and untoward consequences for millions.