ER, Dental Care and Medicaid

I recommend reading an article published in today's Sun Sentinel titled "More patients turning to ERs for dental care" summarizing the findings of a study by the Florida Oral Health Coalition which found that more than 115,000 people went to the hospital last year for dental care that could have been prevented or done at a much lower cost in a dentist's office. That's up 9 percent since 2008. More than 15,500 of them were children. ERs charged $88 million for that dental care last year — $30 million to Florida's state-federal Medicaid program , the study found. Hospitals not reimbursed for the care likely pass on the cost to other patients through higher charges. The reliance on ERs for tooth care was even heavier in South Florida, with the number of ER visits up 32 percent in Broward County since 2008. To tackle the problem, the group suggests expanding services that can be offered by dental hygienists, raising Medicaid payments to attract more dentists, having Medicaid cover adult dental care, and expanding county health department dental clinics. But the recommendations would require more tax money at a time when state officials are trying to shrink the Medicaid budget.