Following in the footsteps of California, Michigan, and Utah, Massachusetts is close to trimming dental Medicaid benefits for adults, according to a report in the Boston Globe.
Adults would still be able to get cleanings, X-rays, and emergency dental services, but would no longer get other oral care in a plan advanced by Gov. Deval Patrick, the newspaper said.
Scaling back on dental benefits will save the state $15 million and affect about a million people, interim Medicaid director Terence Dougherty said, according to the report.
The program is also planning cuts in Medicaid and increased fees to the medical benefits.
Dougherty said the recession and widespread job losses have swelled the number of residents seeking assistance through the Medicaid program, the newspaper reported.
He said the proposed changes must be approved by the state legislature and that there must be public hearings after that, so they probably won't go into effect until April.
