Dental Coverage Through Medicaid Managed Care vs Fee-for-Service

How do states structure and deliver adult dental benefits through Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), and how do these benefits align with Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) coverage?In this cross-sectional analysis of Medicaid programs in all 50 states and Washington, DC, the share of states offering comprehensive dental benefits through MCOs increased from 64.7% in 2016 to 70.6% in 2022. However, benefit generosity between MCO and FFS programs remained misaligned across states despite improvements over time.State approaches to Medicaid managed care dental coverage remain heterogeneous; strengthening alignment across delivery systems can help promote equitable access to adult dental care.

Corresponding Author: Hawazin W. Elani, BDS, PhD, Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (hawazin_elani@hsdm.harvard.edu).

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