Medicaid and Dental Care – California

Cuts in public dental benefits add to health risks for California’s poor, By Matt Kawahara, June 19, 2010, Sacramento Bee: ” Emma Snuggs’ smile is still a white flash of straight teeth, though it has been nearly two years since she last had money to visit a dentist. ‘You have to choose the necessities,’ said Snuggs, 26. On Monday afternoon, though, she watched as her son Michael Hunsaker, 7, had his teeth checked at the Sacramento Native American Health Center on J Street. Michael is covered by Denti-Cal, the dental arm of the state’s public insurance program, Medi-Cal. Snuggs, a single mother and a student at Sacramento City College, is on Medi-Cal as well. But last July the state cut dental services for adults in a move that was expected to save $115 million…”