Summary brochure

Barriers to Care

Wisconsin Medicaid facts at-a-glance
Wisconsin’s dental Medicaid and BadgerCare programs are grossly underfunded, which denies patients necessary economic purchasing power. Increasing access depends on additional financial investment by the state, because coverage alone does not equal care.

Why the HMO dental system doesn't work
The Legislative Audit Bureau’s June 2008 report on the dental Medicaid HMO program provides proof that the HMO dental MA system costs the state more money while providing less access to dental care than the MA fee-for-service model.

Why dentists don't (and won't) cost-shift
The WDA explains why dentists don’t cost-shift the burdens of an underfunded state Medicaid program on to private-pay patients. Reasons are explained here.

Pew Center on the States gives state of Wisconsin 'C' grade
The state of Wisconsin earned a grade of "C" by meeting four out of eight policy benchmarks set forth in "The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children" released in February 2010.

The role of adequate work force in breaking down barriers to oral health care
The first in a series of American Dental Association papers examining the challenges and solutions to bringing good oral health to the millions of Americans—including as many as one-quarter of the nation’s children—who lack access to dental care, many of them suffering with untreated disease. It focuses on work force, an umbrella term for the numbers, location and makeup of the teams comprising dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants and other existing and proposed providers.

Path to Better Oral Health

WDA response to Pew's letter to state Department of Health Services
The WDA responds to a letter to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services from the director of the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign. The letter urges the state – which received a "C" in the Pew Center’s recent annual report card on dental health policies for children – to do more to reduce barriers to oral health care faced by low-income children in the Badger State.

Dentistry Examining Board testimony
Dr. Steven Stoll, a general dentist in Neenah, Wis. and president-elect of the WDA, issued this statement regarding his testimony on Sept. 7, 2011 before the state Dentistry Examining Board. The DEB is considering changes to rules governing licensing for some dentists in Wisconsin. Click to view copies of Dr. Stoll’s complete testimony.

WDA proposals to address barriers to dental care
The WDA believes Medicaid patients will get the quality dental care they need and the state has promised them when legislators and other state officials choose to make "healthy choices" on behalf of their constituents.

'Dentists Do Serve (DDS) and Make a Difference (DMD)'
Examples of WDA members’ charitable dental care efforts illustrate how "Dentists Do Serve" their communities and "Dentists Make a Difference" for underserved children and adults.

Education prevents disease
The most cost-effective way for the state to pay for treatment of dental disease is to prevent the disease from developing in the first place.

Resources for patients
View resources for dental patients who are on medical assistance, have no dental insurance or are otherwise unable to afford needed dental care.

Share your concerns with legislators
The WDA has spent many years working to improve the state’s dental MA program. However, dental patients enrolled in the state insurance programs (e.g., MA, BadgerCare, BadgerCare plus) have the greatest influence in helping legislators understand the difficulty in accessing dental care.

Coalition

Healthy Choices Coalition: Statewide groups come together to break down barriers to dental care
The WDA joined with seven Wisconsin organizations to form the Healthy Choices Coalition, a group dedicated to helping reduce barriers to oral health care in the Badger State, in September 2011.

Bill Status

Non-covered services
View an update of AB 251/SB 186 Non-Covered Services referred to committee in both the Assembly and Senate on Sept. 15, 2011 with support from 39 Democrat and Republican legislators in both houses. A formal request for a public hearing was immediately submitted by the WDA.

Definition of dentistry and Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary
View an update of Definition of Dentistry and Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary (EFDA) legislation. The WDA has reviewed the draft and submitted slight changes to the Legislative Reference Bureau. A bill number and public hearing are pending.

Dental Academy & Legislative Day

WDA Legislative Day
Bipartisanship was the predominant tone at WDA Legislative Day on March 30, 2011 with state leaders of both parties welcomed to the podium, including Gov. Scott Walker, Senate President Mike Ellis (R-Neenah) and Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha).

WDA Dental Academy
Twenty-three state legislators and 16 legislative staffers were among 61 people in attendance at the first WDA Dental Academy on Jan. 19, 2011 at the Concourse Hotel in Madison. Click for an overview and handouts presented.

Issue Papers

A bipartisan agenda for a healthier Wisconsin: Reducing barriers to dental care
This four-page brochure outlines a bipartisan agenda for addressing barriers to oral health care in Wisconsin.

Issue papers
View WDA positions on current issues facing the dental profession, including access to dental care, work force and delegation of duties. Issue papers are available in printer-friendly format for easy sharing with legislators, news media, etc.

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In the news
See where dentistry and the WDA have made the news, including links to coverage of the 2010 WDA and WDA Foundation Mission of Mercy event.

Media room
Visit the WDA Media Room for the latest press releases, oral health story ideas, spokesperson photos and bios and more.