Many Virginians on Medicaid often go to emergency rooms for dental issues that could have been prevented or treated at a dentist’s office, a new state report found.
About 16,000 Medicaid recipients visited emergency rooms about 19,000 times last year, a report recently released by the Department of Medical Assistance Services found. More than half of those 16,000 people were treated for “non-traumatic dental conditions” like tooth aches and loose teeth.
The majority of emergency room visits were by adult Medicaid recipients, who do not qualify for preventative dental coverage like children do.
Medicaid Recipients Often Use ER for Dental Issues, Report Says – NBC4 Washington