by Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch
February 7, 2024
The West Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill that would allow the state’s Medicaid recipients to get dentures without it counting against the $1,000 annual cap on dental care services.
Proponents of House Bill 4933 say it would help Medicaid recipients get more timely access to necessary dental care. Medicaid currently covers diagnostic, preventative and restorative dental services, with the exclusion of cosmetic services.
Hallie Mason, director of the state Dental Association, said Medicaid reimburses dentists around $600 for an upper denture and $600 for a lower denture, meaning that often recipients cannot get both in the same year.
“That is not the standard of care in dentistry,” she previously told West Virginia Watch. “In dentistry, if someone needs a set of dentures, you need to make them at the same time. If you don’t, it causes issues with the patient’s bite, with chewing, the teeth might not set up properly.”
If the bill becomes law, it would become effective July 1.
The bill will next go to the Senate for consideration.