Download the 2020 Apple Health (Medicaid) dental program Facts and Figures report for Washington state.
Oral health is a critical component of overall health. Poor oral health can cause pain and impact many aspects of a person’s life, including the ability to eat, sleep, learn, and work. Untreated oral disease can exacerbate chronic health conditions, like diabetes, negatively impacting overall health and increasing medical costs.
When people seek and receive oral health care early, disease can be prevented, and small problems can be treated so that they don’t lead to serious and costly health problems.
More than 1 in 4 people in Washington state receive their health care coverage from Apple Health (Washington State Medicaid), which is administered by the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) using a managed care model for medical services and a fee-for-service reimbursement model for dental services. This population includes more than 1 million adults and 1 million children. Therefore, the Apple Health dental program is a key factor in the oral health status of over a quarter of the state’s population (27%) who receive dental care through Apple Health.