On Thursday, August 11 the IDA Executive Director, Laurie Traetow, asked for support to align Dental Wellness Plan (DWP) reimbursement rates with that of Hawki during the Iowa Council on Human Services meeting. The council serves in a policymaking and advisory capacity for the Iowa Department of Human Services.
“In order to provide sufficient access to oral healthcare for Iowa’s Medicaid population, the Dental Wellness Plan rates must be increased to match the Hawki dental rates. In SFY 2020, the Dental Wellness Plan’s expenses comprised only 1.6 percent of Iowa’s total Medicaid budget. Increasing the Dental Wellness Plan’s rates to that of Hawki would significantly increase access to care," Ms. Traetow stated during her remarks.
She went on to say “Across the board, Iowa’s dental Medicaid rates have increased minimally, if at all, over the past 20 years. This includes many common procedures, such as a child’s dental cleaning, which has only seen an increase of $0.57 since the year 2000." IDA also submitted a letter to the Council, which further explained the issues the low reimbursement rates have caused.
If you are interested in speaking with your local legislators about increasing dental Medicaid reimbursement rates, or other legislative priorities, consider becoming a key contact. To become a key contact complete the
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Josh Carpenter.