Federally, one dentist per 2,000 population is considered an adequate ratio. Fewer than 15 percent of New York state dentists take Medicaid patients at all. She stresses that just as patients can't be blamed for their reluctance to drive 30 or 40 miles to reach a dentist who will see their children, the refusal to accept Medicaid isn't the dentists' fault. The bureaucracy involved in the reimbursement process is substantial and turns a lot of dentists off right at the on-set. Even if Medicaid raised its per-visit limit to reflect today's conditions, dentists would still hesitate to take it.
Dentists have to fill out all kinds of forms.
And even if a dentist jumps through the correct hoops, the money is slow in coming. Some dentists could have a cultural bias that prevents them from serving special populations. The dentist can't even afford to open the door. Moreover, rural New York dentists who cheerfully accept Medicaid clients will soon have so many that they won't have time to see anyone else. Many of New York state's 34 rural health networks are trying to devise innovative ways to deliver dental care to rural residents who haven't visited a dentist for years, decades, or if they're children, a lifetime.