G-2312-20105

Health Care for All (HCFA) is a nonprofit organization in Massachusetts that promotes health justice by working to reduce disparities and ensure coverage and access for all. The organization advocates for a more equitable, integrated, accessible, and affordable oral health system in the state.

Over the past year, with the support of CareQuest Institute grant funding, HCFA carried out several project activities to continue building a coalition of oral health advocates and engage community members about oral health issues and ongoing efforts to protect dental coverage for vulnerable populations in Massachusetts. In 2023, HCFA's project efforts resulted in the organization:

Securing $300,000 in funding for the Department of Public Health's Office of Oral Health in the FY2024 state budget, which ultimately supports the state's Special Commission on Oral Health and its work on conducting a state-wide oral health needs assessment that will inform policy recommendations to improve oral health in MA,

Expanding the Oral Health Advocacy Taskforce (OHAT) through in-person community events and intentional outreach, and

Developing and introducing a legislative proposal - “Take 10” - which would provide incentive payments for oral health providers who take on at least 10 MassHealth patients in a calendar year.

In addition to these outcomes, HCFA advocates testified before the Health Care Finance Committee and Financial Services Committee in support of legislation including the proposal to cover kids on MassHealth regardless of immigration status to ensure access to full oral health benefits and continued to promote wider adoption of teledentistry as an equitable pathway to increasing access to care. Both issues will remain priority work areas for HCFA in 2024 as it prepares for the 2025-26 legislative session.

HCFA's proposed scope of work builds on the organization's advocacy experience at both the state and federal levels and incorporates community voices through formal and informal data collection and engagement in myriad activities. In 2024, one of HCFA's priorities will be on increasing access to oral health care through the promotion of teledentistry and oral health integration. The organization will work with CareQuest Institute and the MassHealth dental program to host a webinar for Massachusetts stakeholders about MassHealth's new telehealth policy and its implications for increasing access to oral health care in the state. HCFA is also continuing to build its relationships with Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to better understand the oral health screening tools being leveraged by their providers. In addition to integration, HCFA will be working to stand in defense of Medicaid adult dental benefits, which may be under threat, as well as advocating at the state and federal levels for policies that extend access to oral health services and providers for all, regardless of income and immigration status. Finally, HCFA will continue to build a coalition stakeholders committed to advocating for oral health integration. This component of the project will specifically leverage listening sessions with communities and organizations to shape the 2025-26 legislative agenda, which will be developed in fall 2024, and equip participants with access to information and training resources to improve oral health and encourage individuals to advocate alongside and as members of OHAT.

This proposal is being recommended for grant funding of $150,000, which represents 2% of HCFA’s overall budget. Funding will help HCFA respond to timely opportunities within the state to respond to increased interest and resources about oral health integration and policies that support it and indications that the progress made toward establishing extensive adult dental benefits in Medicaid may be undone soon. These funds will be allocated primarily to project personnel, with the remaining funds supporting office supplies, meetings and events, and consultant support for grant administration and oral health policy.