California Dental Association President John Blake, DDS, issued the following statement on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised 2023-24 state budget proposal released today:
“CDA applauds Gov. Newsom for a responsible May revision budget proposal that addresses revenue shortfalls while maintaining historic investments and minimizing the impact of a growing deficit. Prudent budgeting in prior years has positioned the state to better withstand the shortfalls that come with a volatile state budget.
The governor’s May 12 proposal protects recent investments that have led to historic progress in the Medi-Cal program and address long-standing barriers to dental treatment and other essential health care.
As we have said before, improved funding through Proposition 56 and the children’s focused incentives under CalAIM, as well as significant programmatic changes, have led to meaningful and sustained results in the Medi-Cal Dental Program that should not be jeopardized. Since 2017, the number of Medi-Cal dental providers has increased 31%, which has contributed to increased utilization for enrollees. The governor’s budget also maintains the first-of-its-kind investment to fix the crisis in dental care access for patients with special health care needs and to increase the supply of providers in underserved areas.
Additionally, CDA looks forward to exploring opportunities with the governor and legislature to build on this progress through a renewed Managed Care Organization (MCO) Tax. This is an important moment to create sustainable access in the Medi-Cal program. We commend Gov. Newsom for his commitment to health care access and his balanced approach to a challenging budget landscape.”