1503-11439

Missouri: This investment supports the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health (MCOH) to strengthen the network of oral health advocates within the state of Missouri and build the necessary support for the inclusion of an adult dental benefit in the state�s Medicaid program. Specifically, MCOH will: raise awareness of oral health policy as a salient statewide issue by leveraging the diversity of its existing networks and engaging the broader health advocacy community; explore additional policy options that will increase the likelihood that high-need individuals have access to oral health care; and engage nontraditional stakeholders in its efforts to reinstate an adult dental benefit in the state Medicaid program and raise awareness of oral health as a health issue. Although the oral health network in Missouri tends to be more connected, much effort is still needed around bringing those people most affected by oral health disparities into the conversation. MCOH will intentionally engage organizations focused on health equity in its policy work and into the network as a whole. $98,700 will support personnel time, travel, and meeting expenses needed to support the implementation of this work. This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 goal of mandatory inclusion of an adult dental benefit in publicly-funded health insurance and the target that at least 30 states have a comprehensive Medicaid adult dental benefit, and no states that currently have a Medicaid adult dental benefit roll back or eliminate that coverage.