Last week, the Minnesota Department of Health put out a press release indicating how they are addressing "significant and longstanding gaps" in the state's dental care: by improving the payment rates that the state pays out to dentists.
The rate increase started on January 1, 2022, and will help low-income Minnesotans who use Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare find the oral health care they need. Oftentimes, these individuals are not able to find a dentist who can afford to treat them due to historically low reimbursement rates from the state - rates set more than 30 years ago.
Read more about Minnesota's actions to improve access to oral health care in their press release.
Check out Apple Tree Dental's 2021 collaborative documentary with Twin Cities Public Television to see why low reimbursement rates cause such a problem in public health.