The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005: What Does It Mean For Children’s Dentists?

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) includes a number of changes in Medicaid that are designed to cut program spending by $7 billion over the next five years. While making these cuts, Congress also stated its intention to keep the pediatric EPSDT benefit intact. This is important to dentists because EPSDT contains Medicaid’s comprehensive dental benefit for children from birth to age 21. Putting the projected savings side-byside with the guarantee of continued coverage raises the question for dentists: “How can Medicaid both cut costs by billions and still keep benefits unchanged?”