San Francisco Chronicle: Loss of Medi-Cal dental care hard to swallow

[marmar]

Loss of Medi-Cal dental care hard to swallow
Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, June 12, 2009


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(06-11) 20:37 PDT -- Dennis Conkin desperately needs to have a tooth pulled, but the 56-year-old San Francisco man is considering having all his remaining teeth extracted before his Medi-Cal dental benefits end July 1.

"It's really unfortunate but also realistic. What's going to happen when the front one goes and I need a root canal? They're not going to save it, and I can't afford to pay for it," said Conkin, who would rely on dentures if he decides to have his remaining six lower teeth and almost all his upper teeth pulled.

Conklin is one of about 2.8 million low-income Californians who is expected to lose dental services at the end of this month.

The state Legislature voted in February to eliminate Medi-Cal dental care for adults, along with other "optional" benefits such as podiatry, optometry, audiology, psychology and speech therapy, for an estimated budget savings of $183.6 million.

California's budget deficit has ballooned to $24.3 billion - and finance officials warn the state could run out of money as early as next month. In May, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed even steeper cuts, including eliminating other health services - such as in-home support and adult day care.

"The state has already decided to make these cuts July 1," said Marty Lynch, executive director of Lifelong Medical Care, which operates a dental clinic in Berkeley that serves 12,000 low-income people, about 5,000 of whom are on Medi-Cal. "The deal was already done." .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/11/BAQ1184POG.DTL&type=health

[imdjh]

1. I'd like to see what Medical actually pays for dental services

As a paying customer, I'd like to know what prices dentists are actually willing to do the work for.

Then I'd like them to charge me that price.

This isn't a shot at Medical recipients, it's a shot at dentists.