Medicaid dental bill tied to surgeries, cancer treatment advances

(The Center Square) − A Louisiana bill aimed at removing dental barriers to serious medical treatment advanced from committee after lawmakers said some Medicaid patients are being blocked from surgeries and cancer care because they cannot get medically necessary dental work covered.“This bill may really save lives,” Rep. Dustin Miller, D-Opelousas, chairman of the Health and Welfare committee said.Miller pointed to cases involving heart surgery and other major procedures that cannot move forward without dental clearance.With no objection, both the Appropriations and Health and Welfare committees reported House Bill 222 favorable.House Bill 222 by Rep. Stephanie Berault would require Medicaid to cover certain dental procedures when they are needed to clear a patient for another covered medical service.Berault said the issue is affecting people already eligible for major treatments but cannot move forward because of untreated dental infections or other oral health problems.“There are people who are missing covered medical procedures because they have an infection in their mouth,” Berault told the committee. “Someone’s not getting heart surgery, not getting cancer treatment because they need to have a tooth pulled.”The bill is meant to cover the dental work needed as a prerequisite for other medical care already covered by Medicaid.The bill carries a fiscal note, but Berault said she had multiple conversations with the Department of Health and was told the costs could be absorbed within the agency’s existing budget. She also pointed to language added in House Bill 1, the state budget bill, that she said anticipates the department covering the cost.Under the fiscal note, the proposal is expected to increase state Medicaid spending by about $2.51 million in fiscal year 2027, including $784,370 in state general fund dollars, plus federal and dedicated funding. The projected cost rises to about $3.45 million in fiscal year 2028 and would continue growing at roughly 3% annually after that.The estimate is based on an impacted population of 5,966 Medicaid enrollees ages 21-65 with certain health conditions enrolled in a Dental Benefit Program Manager, with an estimated average annual cost of $483.62 per enrollee.Supporters of the bill included the Louisiana Dental Association, Christus Health, the Louisiana State Medical Society, the Arc of Louisiana, the Louisiana Public Health Institute and the Louisiana Society of Oral Surgeons.