Partnerships provide policy wins in 2024 legislative session

By Alison Mondi, Arcora Policy Director

The 2024 Legislative Session ended on March 7. We want to share a recap of the important wins for oral health access and prevention from the short 60-day session! With the support of our partners, Arcora Foundation secured 2 priority funding items in the state supplemental operating budget:

• $1 million to increase the capacity of local Access to Baby & Child Dentistry programs, to reach more eligible families and support providers.
• $100,000 for a community water fluoridation work group, to continue to build on the recommendations from the 2023 Oral Health Equity Assessment.

We were also proud to join partner-led efforts on additional oral health funding, including:

• $2.5 million to expand the UW School of Dentistry Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program, which trains dentists to meet the needs of rural and underserved populations.
• Capital funding for dental clinics at community health centers: Community Health Center of Snohomish County (Everett), Community Health Association of Spokane (Spokane), Moses Lake Community Health Center (Ephrata), and the Pacific Northwest University School of Dental Medicine partnership with Yakima Neighborhood Health Services.

The Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign has led the charge for authorization and full funding for Apple Health (Medicaid) Expansion. Apple Health Expansion, which will begin July 1, is Medicaid-similar coverage for lower-income immigrant adults who are barred from Medicaid due to immigration status. This is an exciting and much-needed program to address a long-standing inequity in health coverage; however, not enough funding is currently available to cover all newly eligible adults. Legislators increased funding $28.4 million to extend the reach of Apple Health Expansion.

We thank policymakers, oral health providers, community-based organizations, and other partners who made these wins possible.