FYI

From the latest on COVID vaccines and policy to new laws that could affect your practice, FYI brings you the biggest dental policy stories.
 

Millions of children could lose coverage when Medicaid requirement expires

Children in the U.S. currently insured through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have had stability in their coverage during the COVID-19 public health emergency due to a continuous coverage requirement mandated by Congress in March of 2020. This protection is likely to expire sometime in 2022, perhaps as soon as April. The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute estimates that at least 6.7 million children are likely to lose their Medicaid coverage, including dental care, and are at considerable risk for becoming uninsured.
 

ADA releases new resource for masking

In March, the American Dental Association (ADA) released Indoor Masking in Dental Practice Public Spaces, a new resource to guide dental practices in light of the latest masking recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC indicated in February that communities should now take into account new COVID-19 hospitalizations, hospital capacity and new COVID-19 cases to determine risk level and masking requirements in shared spaces. The ADA resource outlines steps dental practices can follow to align their practice with CDC recommendations.
 

Lawmakers in New York consider health benefits for uninsured immigrants

New York lawmakers are considering expanding the state’s Essential Plan, which offers free or inexpensive health insurance to low-income citizens, to cover undocumented immigrants. The program includes preventive care, prescription drugs and vision and dental benefits. The expansion would follow the lead of California and Illinois, which have recently offered health insurance to older low-income undocumented residents, but New York would be the first state to offer such coverage regardless of age. An estimated 46,000 people in New York who are currently ineligible for public health care programs due to immigration status would gain access to health insurance coverage, including dental benefits, under the proposed legislation.