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California Health Report

Concern over accessibility to dental care for children on Medi-Cal brings to surface the need for alternative solutions to increase access. "One of the solutions is to bring dental care to children where they are," says Kattlove. "School-based programs are very successful in addressing access issues."

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HealthyCal.org

California needs to act now to prevent a severe dental crisis. “School based programs are very successful in addressing access issues,” says Kattlove. Also, training other medical professionals in preventative oral care and introducing innovations such as teledentistry are alternate solutions offered.  

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Chico News & Review

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California Healthline

"California's Medi-Cal dental system is already struggling to serve children and is unprepared for what's to come," said Wendy Lazarus, founder and co-president of The Children's Partnership. "California's kids deserve real access to quality dental care -- not a false promise of it," Lazarus said in a statement accompanying the recent issue brief, "Fix Medi-Cal Dental Coverage: Half of California's Kids Depend On It."

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California's Children, by HSMC 

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New America Media

TCP released a report  on the crisis faced by many families whose children depend on Medi-Cal for their dental care. Jenny Kattlove, the author of the issue brief, is TCP’s Director of Strategic Health Initiatives. 

“The state has said that they feel there are enough dental providers, except for a few small counties … But, the program is not up to par. It can’t currently meet the needs of its enrollees, let alone those of a million new children,” Kattlove says.

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California Healthline

TCP report, Fix Medi-Cal Dental Coverage, highlights that "children currently enrolled in Medi-Cal are not receiving needed dental care. According to the report, nearly half of beneficiaries under age 21 who are enrolled in Denti-Cal -- a Medi-Cal dental program -- did not receive a dental check-up or treatment in 2011. The report found that a major factor in the lack of dental care was that relatively few dentists accept Medi-Cal patients."

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83.9 KPCC

California is facing a looming dental crisis as it prepares to transition nearly a million more youngsters into Medi-Cal’s already overburdened dental programs. “Currently, families are really struggling to access dental care for their families,” says Jenny Kattlove, author of the report, Fix Medi-Cal Dental Coverage. “Often times they have to wait months even just to get an appointment and/or they have to travel great distances to get care.”

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To listen to the interview, link here.

"It's a public health issue" according to Jenny Kattlove, Director of Strategic Health Initiatives. "A large number of California children do not have dental coverage at all. About 1.8 million of them in public coverage are not getting the dental care they need. One reason is that the reimbursement rate for dentists is very low, close to the lowest in the nation, and in California there are Medi-Cal administrative barriers providers face.

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Santa Monica, CA– Today, The Children’s Partnership released an issue brief and action plan addressing the challenges Medi-Cal faces in providing dental care to children in California. The issue brief, Fix Medi-Cal Dental Coverage: Half of California Kids Depend On It, also stresses the impact that newly enrolled children will have on the state’s strained dental care system. “California’s Medi-Cal dental system is already struggling to serve children and is unprepared for what’s to come,” said Wendy Lazarus, Founder & Co-President of The Children’s Partnership. “California’s kids deserve real access to quality dental care—not a false promise of it.” The brief highlights the challenges facing Medi-Cal in providing dental care to children, examines the State’s efforts to address these problems, and provides an action plan to help the program serve its growing number of enrollees. 

Download the full press statement here .