In a critical victory for California dentists and patients, the California Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom reached agreement Friday evening on a State budget that protects all Medi-Cal Dental funding for another year. Originally set to take effect July 1, 2026, the $1B in proposed cuts are now delayed until July 1, 2027.
The agreement preserves the current Medi-Cal dental reimbursement rate levels as well as dental benefits for undocumented residents. The proposed cuts would have had catastrophic impacts on millions of patients, as Medi-Cal Dental serves half of California’s children and one-third of its adults.
CDA President Robert Hanlon, DDS, responded to the agreement:
“We thank the Legislature and governor for approving a budget that protects Medi-Cal Dental funding for another year. They made the right decision and avoided what would be a devastating collapse of the program that would leave millions of our most vulnerable without basic dental care. At the same time, we must recognize that the uncertainty caused by short-term delays of massive proposed cuts is already reducing access. There is difficult budget work ahead of us, but California must have longer term stability in the Medi-Cal budget to ensure adequate access to essential health care.”
The proposed cuts would have ended the increased Medi-Cal Dental reimbursement rates established after the passage of Proposition 56, the tobacco tax measure California voters overwhelmingly approved in 2016. Proposition 56 led to a historic expansion in access to care for millions of patients. New dental office visits by Medi-Cal patients increased 37%, and the number of Medi-Cal Dental providers across the state increased by 34%.
The proposed cuts amounted to one-third of current Medi-Cal Dental funding and would have brought reimbursements back to rates established in the 1990s. A survey of dentists CDA conducted last fall found that 49% of Medi-Cal dentists would leave the program if the proposed cuts were to take effect.
Over 4,800 dentists, coalition members urge Legislature, governor to reject cuts
CDA member dentists and members of the CDA-convened Save Our Dental Care coalition, composed of 125 organizations, including health care providers, regional centers, senior and children’s advocates, fought to stop the cuts.
More than 4,800 dentists and coalition members responded to the coalition’s calls to action. Together we:
- Sent more than 12,000 emails to the governor and Legislature urging them to say no to the cuts.
- Submitted 234 testimonials about how the cuts would impact Medi-Cal patients’ ability to find dental care.
And during CDA Advocacy Days this year, 85 participating CDA members held 57 meetings with legislative offices.
The coalition also ran an advertising campaign for several months, drawing greater attention to the issue.
“We greatly appreciate the extraordinary effort from CDA members and the entire Save Our Dental Care coalition,” Dr. Hanlon said. “We showed up in a big way, made ourselves heard and made sure this funding was protected in the new budget.”
CDA will continue leading fight to protect Medi-Cal Dental
With this news from the Capitol, Medi-Cal dentists have some breathing space to sustain their practices while providing care to the state’s most vulnerable patients, but the cuts still loom with a new effective date: July 1, 2027.
CDA and the Save Our Dental Care coalition will continue advocating with legislators and California’s next governor to prevent Medi-Cal Dental cuts.
Stay informed through the CDA newsroom and CDA’s weekly member newsletter, Inside California Dentistry, sent Friday mornings. If you aren’t receiving it, you can opt back in.