Iowa hires two companies to offer dental services to Medicaid members
Iowa Medicaid has picked two providers, including a new entity to the state's program, to offer dental services to Medicaid members.
This week, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced its intent to award contracts to Delta Dental of Iowa and DentaQuest USA Insurance Co. to serve as dental carriers for those enrolled in Iowa's Medicaid and Well Kids in Iowa (or Hawki) programs. The three-year contracts start July 1.
These private companies will provide dental benefits for more than 825,000 Iowans, which represents the majority those who are low-income or disabled enrolled in Iowa's $7 billion Medicaid program. They are separate from the three for-profit companies that provide most medical services under the program: Amerigroup Iowa, Molina Healthcare of Iowa and Iowa Total Care.
Delta Dental provides dental services to Medicaid members, and has provided benefits under the program since the state privatized Medicaid in 2016.
DentaQuest is a new entity to the state's program. The Boston, Mass.-based company is one of the largest Medicaid dental providers in the country, with more than 33 million beneficiaries nationwide.
State officials stated during the search for dental carriers, which began in April, that their intent was to procure contract with entities that "demonstrated capacity to coordinate care and provide quality outcomes," according to the request for proposals issued earlier this year.
“This effort drives the innovation that is needed to provide high-quality services to Iowans,” Iowa Medicaid Director Elizabeth Matney said in a statement Monday. “In our review of Delta and DentaQuest’s proposals, these plans demonstrated the capacity to coordinate care and improve outcomes for our members. I am excited to have these partners join us as we work together to improve care and deliver on our strategic goals of improving Medicaid for the Iowans who rely on us for their care.”
State officials say they are working closely with Delta Dental and DentaQuest in the lead-up to the July 1 contract launch date to "transform and improve care for Iowans," according to a press release.
"While dental care has been provided through a managed care model for several years, the previous managed care contracts for dental services have not had the same comprehensive review as HHS has done with other managed care contracts," the press release states.
Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa picks Delta Dental, DentaQuest for Medicaid dental services
