The final budget will delay harmful cuts to Medi-Cal Dental; long term solution to protect access is still needed

The Save Our Dental Care Coalition, a group of more than 150 dental organizations, doctors, social justice groups and patient advocates applaud the Legislature and Governor Newsom for preserving essential access to dental care for Medi-Cal patients in the 2026-2027 budget. The coalition looks forward to ongoing discussions with stakeholders in coming months to ensure a long term solution is in place for continuous access to Medi-Cal Dental for years to come. Dr. Robert Hanlon, DDS, President of the California Dental Association, a member of the Save Our Dental Care Coalition, issued the following statement following the announcement: 

“We thank the legislature and governor for approving a budget that protects Medi-Cal Dental funding for another year,” said Dr. Robert Hanlon, President of the California Dental Association. “They made the right decision and avoided what would be a devastating collapse of the program that would leave millions of our most vulnerable without basic dental care. At the same time, we must recognize that the uncertainty caused by short-term delays of massive proposed cuts is already reducing access. There is difficult budget work ahead of us, but California must have longer term stability in the Medi-Cal budget to ensure adequate access to essential health care.”

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