Legislative Update

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the face of oral health care. Virginia Health Catalyst is highlighting innovations in oral health through the Front Line Innovations blog series. This week’s blog from Pat Finnerty, Catalyst’s policy committee chair and a former director of the state’s Medicaid program looks at federal policy innovations to improve access to oral…

The following guest post is written by twelve health philanthropies from across Virginia. It is the first time these organizations have spoken out on a policy issue. It may surprise you to know that one of the biggest unmet needs in Virginia is dental care, but it doesn’t have to be. Dental care is not…

Yesterday the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule took effect. The rule will affect approximately 10 million documented immigrants across the country, making it harder for immigrants to get a green card if they use public benefits like Medicaid or SNAP While there are legal challenges still moving forward regarding the rule, the Supreme Court in…

This legislative session has seen a groundswell of support to add a comprehensive dental benefit for all adults enrolled in Medicaid. Statewide advocacy organizations, safety net clinics, and medical and dental providers have all advocated for a dental benefit. While the majority of decision-makers agree that oral health services are an important part of overall…

Today on January 28th, 2020 Virginia Health Catalyst hosted our annual Legislative Action Day, where constituents meet with their legislators to talk about the importance of oral health and advocate for an adult dental benefit in Medicaid. Thank you to all who attended and to all of our partners who shared this important day with…

A study released today by the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) found a high usage of the emergency department (ED) for dental issues among Medicaid recipients. Currently, Virginia’s Medicaid program does not provide a comprehensive dental benefit for all enrollees. In 2018, nearly 16,000 Medicaid recipients visited the ED roughly 19,000 times for…

The 2019 session was a ‘short’ session (legislative sessions alternate between short sessions, which are six weeks, and long sessions which are 8 weeks), which means a lot of legislation was reviewed in a short amount of time.  Overall I think the commonwealth made strides toward more equitable access to quality, comprehensive health care through…

The 2019 legislative is underway in Richmond. The Coalition staff is excited about several bills put forward to improve access to oral health care. Be sure to join us on January 30 for our Legislative Action Day and share your support for three bills we’re watching closely: Study on Emergency Room Dental Visits (Item 281 #1s,…