If Congress cuts Medicaid funding to states to help extend tax cuts, dental care for adults could be one of the first casualties as legislators and governors re-sort priorities and try to make do with less.
State Democrats are sounding the alarm about proposed cuts to federal Medicaid funding.
They say medical care for almost a million people in Connecticut is now at risk.
A federal funding pause is making it difficult for community health centers across Connecticut to keep their operations running smoothly.
One center in Torrington is starting to feel the effects and is worried it will have a devastating effect on patients who are afraid services they need will be interrupted.
Facing the prospect of massive federal cuts to Medicaid and other programs, state Democrats, health center leaders, and others gathered at the Capitol on Friday to address the potential effects and discuss ways to respond.
Democrats and healthcare leaders, including health center leaders, on Friday warned of devastating consequences for nearly a million of Connecticut’s most vulnerable residents if proposed cuts to Medicaid become law.
Several community health centers in Connecticut are cutting back on dental care — or eliminating it entirely — due to insufficient Medicaid reimbursement rates, officials there said Monday.
Local dentists and dental hygienists volunteered their time and skills Saturday morning for Stay Well Health’s Give Kids a Smile Day in Waterbury.
Families gathered at the Stay Well Health Center on South Main Street for free dental care for children without dental insurance.
The event was part of a nationwide effort by the American Dental Association to ensure that kids can keep healthy smiles.
On Saturday morning, the Staywell Community Health Center in Waterbury opened its door to uninsured kids for free dental work.
“We started about 18 years ago,” said StayWell Health Care President and CEO Don Thompson. “It stopped during COVID and we decided to start it again and see how it goes.”
Six local dentists and several volunteers provided free cleanings, x-rays, fillings, sealants and more.
This is a precarious time for community healthcare centers that depend on reimbursements from the federal government. NBC Connecticut’s Mike Hydeck spoke with Sabrina Trocchi, the CEO of Wheeler Health.
Community health centers across Connecticut are feeling the instability a couple of weeks after the Trump administration announced a freeze on all federal funding, even as the order remains on hold in the courts.
