Millions of patients stand to lose essential dental care if the cuts continue

Sacramento, CA - Dozens of health care advocates urged the Assembly Budget Subcommittee #1 on Health to stop the dangerous cuts to Medi-Cal Dental that ensure millions of Californians - including nearly half of all kids in the state - have access to dental care. 

Before the Assembly Budget Subcommittee, a panel of experts outlined the dire outcomes that lay ahead if cuts passed last year are allowed to move forward. 

Dr. Jon Hollister, President of the Tolosa Children’s Dental Center (TCDC) of Paso Robles shared that the Prop 56 reimbursement increases have supported not just the survival of TCDC, but their ability to expand care and provide a dental home to thousands of children.

“The proposed cuts to Medi-Cal Dental would undo this progress, there is no feasible combination of cost-cutting or fundraising that can absorb a loss of that magnitude,” said Dr. Hollister. “The result is predictable and deeply troubling: more children in pain, more untreated infections, more emergency room visits, more missed school days, and long-term consequences for both health and academic success. Ultimately, these cuts will lead to far higher costs for the state.”

This funding was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2016 through Proposition 56 and has been an instrumental funding source in ensuring more people have had access to dental care over the last decade. 

During the hearing, Assemblymember Bonta said: “I’d like to highlight the report that 50% of Medi-Cal Dental providers would leave the program entirely if the $300 million general fund obligation for supplemental payments is cut. That strikes me as a complete annihilation of our dental care infrastructure, both in the short and long term.”

Last month, in a news release issued by the Department of Health Care Services, the department shared,  “Dental problems don’t just cause pain—they interrupt learning, impact confidence, and widen achievement gaps,” said Dana Durham, Chief of DHCS’ Medi-Cal Dental Services Division. 

And, an analysis from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information  shows that when people can’t see a dentist for routine care, they often wait until the pain becomes unbearable and end up in the emergency room. But emergency rooms can only treat the symptoms—not the underlying dental problem—making this a more expensive and less effective form of care. 

“Cutting Medi-Cal Dental is not a budget solution, it’s the making of a budget crisis,” added Dr. Hollister. “More costly care with less access is bad for patients, bad for providers and bad for entire communities across the state. The legislature has the power to stop these cuts and we heard today loud and clear that would be in the best interest of people everywhere.”  

For more information, visit: saveourdentalcare.org

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