LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Rick Snyder’s recommendations for the 2014-15 state budget, which he unveiled at the Capitol today, contained some great news for 100,000 children in Kalamazoo and Macomb counties.
Specifically, this is what the budget proposal said:
The fiscal year 2015 proposed budget invests $5.4 million to add 100,000 children in Kalamazoo and Macomb counties to the Healthy Kids Dental program. Currently, 510,000 Michigan children residing in 78 of Michigan’s 83 counties are enrolled in the program. This effort will bring the total number of children receiving dental care to 611,000 in 80 counties.
Below is the statement issued by Laura Czelada, CPA, President and Chief Executive Officer of Delta Dental of Michigan, in response to the proposal:
Delta Dental of Michigan enthusiastically supports Governor Snyder’s FY 2015 budget proposal to expand the Healthy Kids Dental (HKD) program to nearly 100,000 children in Kalamazoo and Macomb counties. Children who have access to oral health care are better prepared to succeed in the classroom and become healthier adults. Data also confirms that children with HKD see the dentist more often and are more likely to receive preventative care. Delta Dental strongly encourages the Legislature to expand HKD because improving the oral and overall health of Michigan’s children will help them succeed in the classroom and later in life.
About Healthy Kids Dental
In May 2000, the Michigan Department of Community Health, in partnership with Delta Dental of Michigan, initiated a program to help improve the dental health of those in greatest need. With support from the Michigan Dental Association, this public-private partnership became known as Healthy Kids Dental. Today, HKD serves about 506,000 children in 78 of Michigan’s 83 counties. The five remaining counties are Kalamazoo, Kent, Macomb, Oakland and Wayne. Nearly 100,000 more children would be served by adding HKD to Kalamazoo County (23,990 children) and Macomb County (73,900 children).
According to the National Association of Dental Plans, adults and children without dental coverage are 2.5 times less likely to visit the dentist than those with insurance. In addition, reports show that children miss 51 million hours of school each year because of oral health issues. Increasing access to dental care can help reduce this number and can produce healthier children who are more likely to be successful and productive in school.
An October 2013 analysis conducted by the Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit at the University of Michigan compared HKD to the traditional Medicaid fee-for-service dental program and found:
• Consistently across all study years, a greater percentage of children in HKD counties received dental services, with a difference between HKD and fee-for-service of 13-14 percentage points.
• Substantial improvements in access to dental care are seen immediately following a transition to HKD, often within the same fiscal year.
• Under Healthy Kids Dental, children are more likely to get preventive dental care, and these higher rates of preventive dental care are sustained over time.
• Rates of preventive dental care in HKD counties are higher than the national Medicaid average; in fee-for-service counties, rates are lower than the national average.
• Implementation of Healthy Kids Dental produces a substantial increase in the number of dental providers who see Medicaid children, which translates to a lower number of Medicaid-enrolled children per participating dental provider.
• The sustained increase in dental provider participation through Healthy Kids Dental allows more children to establish a dental home, with over 40 percent of children having multiple preventive dental visits with the same provider.
• The higher but stable cost for HKD pertains to the higher reimbursement amounts, as well as the increased utilization of dental services.
• Children with fee-for-service Medicaid dental coverage are denied the dental access that comes with Healthy Kids Dental. In the five counties that currently remain fee-for-service, approximately 82,890 additional children would have received dental care in FY2012 if HKD had been in place.
Overall, findings from this analysis of Medicaid data demonstrate that Healthy Kids Dental is having a significant and positive effect on Michigan’s children. Future work will build on this analysis to examine the impact of long-term Healthy Kids Dental coverage on oral health status, utilization of emergency rooms for dental needs, and other cost-benefit outcomes.