Medicaid Crisis 2010

Dear Pediatric Dental Center family:

After 32 years of serving local children and their families, our office is sadly no longer able to treat Medicaid patients as of November 1, 2010. But with your help, together we can change a frustrating situation.

Here’s what happened. Through Medicaid, the state reimburses dentists for part of the cost of treatment. But the percentage has been shrinking. In fact, over the past 10 years, our office has given away over $2 million in non-reimbursed services to our Medicaid patients.

Reimbursement rates are now being slashed to about 30 percent of a dental office’s usual fees. Imagine being told that your salary had been cut from $1000… to $300! Or that instead of receiving $10 an hour, you get three bucks? Who can provide a service for 30 cents on the dollar?

Now we’re told 150 Idaho dentists won’t be offered new contracts to see Medicaid patients. That means over 50,000 patients across the state may have no dental home. But where will they go?
Meanwhile, the company hired to manage Medicaid expects to make $5 million a year—siphoned directly out of the $40 million fund that rightfully belongs to this state’s low-income families!

As dentists, we just can’t go along with this any more. It’s wrong for doctors, it’s wrong for patients, and it must change! So until the Idaho State Legislature addresses this crisis, over 2,000 patients from our practice will not have a dental office to call home. Medicaid patients will be unable to have treatment completed, unless they can find a new provider or pay out-of-pocket.

Our staff is diligently seeking other ways to provide dental care to families in need. But our prayer is that the state does not wait to act until there is a medical tragedy or loss of life from a dental infection.

Will you help? We are supplying our patients with the phone numbers and e-mail addresses of our legislators, the governor and Medicaid offices. Only public pressure will move this issue forward. So please contact them. Even a very short note or phone message will help. Tell them your child has no dentist to go to—until all dentists once again get fair Medicaid reimbursement. Leave them the message that they must face up to—and fix—the dental Medicaid crisis!

Thank you for understanding, and thank you for standing with us in this difficult time.

You can contact any representatives, but most preferably the ones for your district-The following names denoted with an * have more voice in this matter.

District 1- Bonner & Boundary Counties
*Sen. Shawn Keough 263-1839 skeough@senate.idaho.gov
Rep. Eric Anderson 265-6316 eanderso@house.idaho.gov
*Rep. George Eskridge 265-0123 geskridg@house.idaho.gov

District 2- Shoshone & Benewah Counties, CDA Indian Reservation & Part of Bonner County
*Sen. Joyce Broadsword 263-7735 jbroadsw@senate.idaho.gov
Rep. Mary Lou Shepherd 682-4771 mshepher@house.idaho.gov
Rep. RJ “Dick” Harwood 245-4446 dharwood@house.idaho.gov

District 3- Hayden and Dalton areas in Kootenai County
Sen. Michael Jorgenson 762-4514 mnjorgen@senate.idaho.gov
Rep. Jim Clark 772-5992 jclark@house.idaho.gov
Rep. Phil Hart 683-0456 phart@house.idaho.gov

District 4- Coeur d’Alene
*Sen. John Goedde 664-9223 jgoedde@senate.idaho.gov Rep. Marge Chadderdon 769-9309 mchadder@house.idaho.gov
*Rep. George Sayler 664-2787 gsayler@house.idaho.gov

District 5- Post Falls area in Kootenai County
*Sen. Jim Hammond 773-5748 jhammond@senate.idaho.gov
Rep. Bob Nonini 765-1904 bnonini@house.idaho.gov
*Rep. Frank Henderson 773-2269 fhenders@house.idaho.gov


*Governor Butch Otter 1(208) 334-2100

*Department of Health and Welfare 1(208) 334-5500 or 1(208) 334-5747

DentaQuest 1(888) 788-8600

Monthly Guessing Game Contest- September

There were NO winners for the school supplies last month =( Unfortunately no one was even close-- better luck next time boys and girls! =)

No Cavity Club Winner- September

Congratulations to Marcus Manzardo for having NO cavities at your regular 6 month checkup! Come on in to claim your prize-- your choice between an item in our prize cabinet or a $50 gift card to Target!