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loading… Challenges facing the Latino community have been all over the news recently. To understand the efforts happening here in Virginia to ensure all communities have opportunities to succeed I sat down with Beatriz Amberman, chair of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO) and member of the Virginia Oral Health Coalition legislative committee, to…

loading… On May 30, Virginia legislature voted to expand Medicaid coverage eligibility to more than 300,000 Virginians by raising the eligible income threshold to just over $16,000 for an individual and $28,000 for parents in a family of three. Hundreds of thousands of Virginians will now have access to affordable health and mental health services,…

loading… House Appropriations Committee Chair Delegate Chris Jones and Senate Finance Committee Co-chairman Senator Emmett Hanger agreed late Monday on a budget compromise that would expand the state's Medicaid program to nearly 400,000 Virginians. The two leaders arrived on budget amendments that demonstrate a commitment to bipartisan legislation and a compromise that both the House and…

loading… Virginia's legislature adjourned on March 11, 2018, without a budget.  The House and Republican members of the Senate remain deeply divided on the issue of Medicaid expansion; the House budget included federal dollars to expand Medicaid to nearly 300,000 low income Virginians, and the Senate budget did not.  The Governor has called for a…

loading… Nearly 200,000 Virginia adults will soon have access to a limited dental benefit, in addition to medical, behavioral health, long term services & support and care coordination through the Commonwealth Coordinated Care Plus Medicaid Program (CCC+). The CCC+ program was created to provide enhanced coverage to several Medicaid waiver and population categories so that…

loading… Integrating oral health into all aspects of health care can expand access to oral health services, enhance comprehensive health care, and improve patient wellness.  Health providers from multiple disciplines can deliver oral health services, education and referrals in most care settings, and dental providers can offer similar clinical services.  In many instances, these services…

loading… Did you know over 100,000 children in Virginia are eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid or Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS)?  FAMIS provides affordable health, dental and mental health coverage to children and pregnant women living in families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance.  …

loading… Our partners in primary care do an outstanding job to integrate oral health services, with key, collaborative support from the dental community. Following this, we are making partners aware of an important code change that will affect medical providers who bill Medicaid for fluoride varnish application. (There is no change for dental providers.) Medical Providers Only: Beginning March 1, 2015, physicians and other…

loading… On Sunday, February 8, Virginia's House and Senate both released budgets that included funding for dental benefits for pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid and FAMIS MOMS. Since the funding was already included in the Governor's budget, the funding would have to have been removed with specific language or a budget amendment. The House budget…

loading… Comprehensive dental benefits for pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid and FAMIS MOMS will begin on March 1, 2015. On this date, providers may begin billing for this benefit and enrolled pregnant women can receive dental services.  The Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) has put together outreach resources for medical and dental providers, members…