California is on the brink of devastating cuts to Medi-Cal Dental.
California is on the brink of devastating cuts to Medi-Cal Dental.
Unless Governor Newsom and the Legislature act, a $1 billion cut — one-third of the program’s funding — will take effect July 1, 2026, putting dental care out of reach for millions.
Medi-Cal Dental serves 15 million Californians, yet these cuts would roll funding back to 1990s levels, forcing patients to forgo basic care, worsening overall health, and driving preventable dental emergencies into already strained ERs.
The proposed cut is short-sighted, disproportionate and harmful to the state’s most vulnerable residents.
Get the Facts
Get the Facts
Dental funding makes up just 1.5% of Medi-Cal program funding but would take 15% of the Medi-Cal budget cuts.
While cutting $362 million in state funding, the proposed cuts leave federal matching funds on the table, including the highest 9:1 match for the ACA expansion population, costing California approximately $576 million in federal funds.
These cuts would slash the Medi-Cal Dental program to funding levels from 30+ years ago.
Reimbursement rate cuts would take dentists back to rate levels enacted in 1992. The reimbursement rate for even a basic dental cleaning would be $40, less than the cost of providing the service.
California would drop from 35th to the 48th lowest Medicaid dental rates for children in the country, ahead of only Florida and Illinois.
In a recent survey of more than 1,500 Medi-Cal dentists, 49% say these cuts will force them to leave the program. Another 30% will be forced to see fewer Medi-Cal patients.
These short-term savings come with long-term costs. When adult Medi-Cal Dental coverage was eliminated in 2009, there was a 32% increase in emergency dental visits by Medi-Cal patients.
Voters overwhelmingly approved this funding by passing Proposition 56 (2016) with 64% support. These cuts defy the will of the voters.
Proposition 56 funding worked. It led to historic improvements in patient access to care and dentist participation in Medi-Cal:
37% increase in new dental office visits by Medi-Cal patients since 2020, according to the most recent data.
34% increase in the number of Medi-Cal dental providers across the state.
40% of California dentists are now enrolled in Medi-Cal.
Join us in urging lawmakers to stop these dangerous cuts from taking effect.
Join us in urging lawmakers to stop these dangerous cuts from taking effect.
