A state agency’s proposal to eliminate the state’s prepaid dental health plan for low-income children has garnered opposition from two Miami-Dade lawmakers and a coalition of dentists. The Agency for Health Care Administration has proposed switching children’s dental services from the prepaid dental plan to a Medicaid managed care model, the Miami Herald reports.
Officials say managed care plans will be more cost-effective and are critical as part of the expansion of managed care for Medicaid medical services. However, state Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, and state Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, R-Miami, are sponsoring bills to keep the current plan, saying it effectively serves about 1.8 million children statewide. The lawmakers have the backing of The Coalition for Independent Dentistry.