More than 200,000 residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties who previously have been uninsured and unable to receive professional dental care will have increased access to dental services under Michigan’s Medicaid expansion ‒ the Healthy Michigan Plan.

“While the health care aspects of the new program have received a lot of attention,” says Karen Trompeter, program director of Tri-County Dental Health, “many people don’t realize the Healthy Michigan Plan also provides dental services for adults.”

Prior to the April 1 launch of Healthy Michigan, dental services were not included in Adult Benefit Waiver Medicaid coverage.

“A lot of these folks have been going to hospital emergency departments for tooth pain and dental emergencies because they couldn’t afford the dentist,” says Trompeter. “With the new program, people are able to have their teeth cleaned and checked twice a year. They can also receive basic dental services such as fillings, extractions, partials and dentures.”

Enrollees will choose a dentist from providers in their health plan network and pay $3 at each dental visit. Participants can call their health plan network for a list, or contact Tri-County Dental Health for assistance. Call Tri-County Dental Health at (248) 233-4410, or visit www.dentalhealthcouncil.org for a list of Medicaid health plans and their respective dental providers.

Tri-County Dental Health is a program of JVS that helps low-income people and those with special needs find affordable dental care in their communities.