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.
These decisions come as Connecticut’s legislature weighs additional money for Medicaid, following a series of studies that showed the state lags its neighbors in reimbursement rates.
“We have struggled for decades to get compensated at cost,” said Joanne Borduas, CEO of Community Health & Wellness Center, which has offices in Torrington, Winsted and North Canaan. “We just have to get compensated to be able to do what we want to do.”
After Friday, CHWC will no longer offer any dental care at all and will instead refer patients to UConn Health in Farmington, about a 45-minute drive from Torrrington.