Mississippi Medicaid and Dentists

I am disappointed that Dr. Mark Donald, president of the Mississippi Dental Association, took offense to my recent comments regarding Medicaid reimbursement to providers. My offensive comment was that “We currently overpay all Medicaid providers except physicians.” Dr. Donald also said that he would like to work collaboratively with DOM. This is an interesting comment considering that a few years ago, rather than working with DOM, the Mississippi Dental Association lobbied and persuaded the Mississippi Legislature to force DOM to pay Mississippi dentists serving Medicaid beneficiaries a 10% increase in reimbursement for each of three years—a total of a 30% compounded increase in reimbursement rates. Including this compounded rate increase, inflation and an increase in beneficiaries, Mississippi dentists serving Medicaid received a 108% increase in payments from Medicaid over a three year period—while the number of dentists billing Medicaid decreased.


Let me explain why I think dentists are paid well by Mississippi Medicaid. There are 585 procedure codes for the practice of dentistry. Mississippi Medicaid pays 158 of these codes; Alabama Medicaid pays for 64 of these codes; Georgia Medicaid pays for 79 of these codes; Florida Medicaid pays for 67 of these codes; Louisiana Medicaid pays for 63 of these codes; and Arkansas Medicaid pays for 50 of these codes. We feel certain this will never happen, but if one Medicaid beneficiary were to receive services for all the codes paid by Mississippi Medicaid, it would cost Mississippi Medicaid $103,556. If one beneficiary received all dental services paid for by Alabama, it would cost Alabama Medicaid $7,737. The same event in Georgia would cost $19,934; in Florida $4,467; in Louisiana $10,044; and in Arkansas $9,735.

When one compares Medicaid payments by codes for these six southern states, Mississippi pays highest on 73 codes; Alabama on 2 codes; Georgia on 26 codes; Florida on 0 codes; Louisiana on 27 codes; and Arkansas on 19 codes.

As Director of Mississippi Medicaid, I repeat my much used statement that Mississippi Medicaid overpays all Medicaid providers except physicians. And, in case we have forgotten, physicians are the heart and soul of health care in Mississippi—and around the world.


Robert Robinson

Executive Director



*All data used in this letter was taken from each respective states’ website on June 22, 2010.