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Advocates: Dental Care Denied Wrongly After Medicaid Cuts

Posted at 3:58 PM, Jul 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-06 15:58:22-04

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Public health advocates in Kentucky say some children and pregnant women have wrongly been denied access to dental care since the state abruptly cut dental and vision coverage for as many as 460,000 Kentuckians.

The cuts came after Gov. Matt Bevin’s plan to overhaul the state’s Medicaid program was blocked by a federal judge.

State officials acknowledge they have seen instances of patients being denied coverage, but say it was providers who misinterpreted eligibility rules. They say they’re working to clear things up.

Emily Beauregard is executive director of Kentucky Voices for Health, a patient advocacy group. She says the Bevin administration’s recent decision has caused "chaos and confusion."

The Kentucky Oral Health Coalition says multiple dentists are claiming routine dental care was denied to children and pregnant women.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.