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House boosts Medicaid dental and physician reimbursements to expand access for children
Summary
Lawmakers approved a second substitute to HB 24 to raise Medicaid reimbursement (indexed to PEHP) for dentists and physicians to increase provider participation; sponsors said a $5 million state match would draw roughly $13.7 million federal funds and extend care to tens of thousands of children.
Representative Mascaro presented second substitute HB 24 to address low access to dental and medical services for Medicaid recipients. He said only about 25 percent of the roughly 270,000 Medicaid‑enrolled children receive dental services and that untreated dental disease forces students to miss school. The bill would raise reimbursement—targeted at 70% of an indexed PEHP aggregate rate—to bring dentists' and physicians' pay closer together and make participation more feasible.
Floor questions asked whether the state match would be leveraged by federal matching funds; Mascaro said the proposed $5 million in state funding would draw approximately $13.7 million in federal match, creating roughly $19 million in total funds for services. Opponents cautioned about sustainability and reliance on federal matching; proponents framed the proposal as preventative medicine that saves much more in downstream costs.
After floor debate and repeated motions to close debate, the House passed the bill (40 yes, 30 no) and referred it to the Senate.
What it means: The measure seeks to increase provider participation in Medicaid by improving reimbursement rates and using state funds to leverage federal dollars for expanded dental and medical services to children and other Medicaid recipients.
Next steps: HB 24 will proceed to the Senate; implementation would follow matching federal approval and appropriation.
