Dental leaders tell Legislative Health & Human Services committee Medicaid fixes, training and pipeline changes are urgent to shore up care for New Mexicans

Tom Skripcima, executive director of the New Mexico Dental Association, told the Legislative Health & Human Services committee that New Mexico is losing dentists and that state policy changes — chiefly on Medicaid reimbursement and workforce development — are necessary to prevent worsening access, particularly in rural areas and for people with disabilities.

"Medicaid, Medicaid, Medicaid," Skripcima said when asked to name the association’s top priority, adding that the state’s reimbursement model and rates have not seen meaningful increases in about 30 years and that many fees are below the cost of providing care.

Why it matters: Skripcima said clinic closures or dentists leaving the state can have outsized local effects because New Mexico is a relatively small market. He testified that pediatric dental capacity is stronger than adult care, that operating‑room access for complex special‑needs procedures is limited, and that many adults with disabilities lack a place to receive needed dental treatment.

Key details and proposals: The association’s foundation produced a statewide "Special Smiles" study with 23 recommendations (the association subsequently adopted two more). Skripcima highlighted several near‑term policy ideas:

- Medicaid reimbursement reform. Skripcima said targeted increases — for the most critical procedure codes — and broad fee changes in the 40–50% range for many procedures would be required to make Medicaid economically viable for more providers.

- Training and pipeline expansions. New Mexico lacks a full dental school pipeline. Skripcima described partnerships with Texas Tech’s Woody Hunt program and the new Touro College of Dental Medicine clinic in Albuquerque, and urged steps such as a BADDS program and locally hosted preclinical years so students can spend more of their training in New Mexico.

- Provider education and certification. The association plans continuing‑education training this fall to certify clinicians for certain Medicaid codes, an effort designed to expand provider capacity.

- Data, standardized records and networks. Skripcima said the state lacks good surveillance on dental needs, that providers lack interoperable records and referral networks, and that a new provider/patient information website is being developed.

Direct quotes: Skripcima said the special‑needs study confirmed "the need exceeds the current resources" and described adults’ access as "much more limited than they are for children." He warned that credentialing and licensing delays "are a major problem for Medicaid" and urged administrative fixes.

Questions from lawmakers covered liability and malpractice coverage (including whether dentists should be included in the state medical malpractice mechanism), dental hygienist compact legislation, tuition subsidies to reduce student debt, and whether private equity consolidation helps or harms rural access. Skripcima said inclusion in the state’s malpractice mechanism could help providers who perform general anesthesia but cautioned that system fixes will require both administrative and legislative steps.

What’s next: Legislators asked for more specifics on fee targets and on training plans; Skripcima urged lawmakers to press state institutions, including UNM, to consider pipeline investments and to pursue Medicaid policy changes that would make the state more attractive for clinicians. The association’s full report and detailed recommendations are available in the handout distributed to the committee.

Ending note: Committee members flagged licensing and credentialing backlogs at the Regulation and Licensing Department and asked staff to follow up; representatives also suggested further work on liability and a dental workforce strategy in the coming session.