February 25, 2019 - Statement Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Kentucky Oral Health Coalition Statement on House Bill 209 Passing Kentucky House Louisville, KY – A child's oral health is integral to their overall health and well-being, and healthy habits are critical to maintaining good health and oral health. House Bill 209, sponsored by Representative John Carney, promotes healthy drinking habits by establishing a minimum requirement for placing water fountains and bottle filling stations in newly constructed public [...]

It’s February, and as advocates for oral health we know that means Children’s Dental Health Month is here again. Starting as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio, Children’s Dental Health Month is a celebration aimed to help establish positive attitudes and good dental habits at an early age as a key component to maintaining good oral and overall physical health of people young and growing. We hope that this month, you can participate in the annual celebration [...]

We are members of the Monroe County CARES Youth Prevention Ambassadors. We are drug prevention advocates from south central Kentucky. Our group works to reduce use of tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, and marijuana among our peers. One area that our group has had a lot of success in is tobacco prevention. Each year we participate in the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Kick Butts Day and we do media campaigns with newspaper articles, ads, radio PSAs, and [...]

As the state moves forward with changes to the Medicaid system through a 1115 Medicaid Waiver, a new and separate Medicaid policy took effect on January 1strelated to co-payments for Medicaid and Medicaid Expansion eligible recipients. Co-payment is an amount of money people pay to a healthcare provider for a health service, such as an office visit or prescription medication. The amount differs depending on the services received and is often paid the day of [...]

KOHC members and oral health stakeholdersfrom across the state gathered together for the 2018 Kentucky Oral Health Coalition Annual Meeting on Friday, December 14. We kicked off the meeting with two exceptional keynote speakers, Drs. Khanna and Chalmers. Dr. Raj Khanna, oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Marshall University, presented on his work in West Virginia around ER utilization for dental related issued. Dr. Natalia Chalmers, dental officer with the Center for Drug Evaluation & Research, Division of Dermatology & Dental Products at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, presented [...]

  This summer, a federal Judge halted implementation of the Bevin Administration's 1115 Medicaid Waiver, known as, Kentucky HEALTH, and yesterday, the federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) issued its re-approval. We appreciate that the 1115 Waiver protects children, pregnant women, former foster youth up to age 26, and adults covered through SSA 1931 from the potential negative impacts of premiums, reduced benefit packages, and lockout periods. However, the re-approval of Kentucky HEALTH will [...]

October is National Dental Hygiene Month, and we’re celebrating dental hygienists across Kentucky! Dental hygienists play a critical role in helping children and adults by examining signs of oral diseases such as gingivitis, educating patients on ways to improve and maintain good oral health, and providing preventative services such as providing fluoride varnish, removing of plaque, and cleaning.  However, the Making Smiles Happen: 2016 Oral Health Study Kentucky Youth tells us that many kids aren’t getting the dental [...]

Louisville, KY – New health insurance data released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that the percent of people with health insurance (of all ages) in Kentucky increased from 85.7 percent in 2013 to 94.6 percent in 2017. Kentucky continues to have the 8th highest rate among states of people with health insurance. The one-year estimates from the American Community Survey also revealed that 96.2 percent of Kentucky children under 19 had health insurance in 2017, [...]

As oral health advocates, we are counting on you to raise your voice by submitting public comments to CMS on the Bevin Administration’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver. Recently, a federal judge halted implementation of the Bevin Administration’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver, also known as Kentucky HEALTH. The Bevin Administration is seeking re-approval of Kentucky HEALTH by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) before it can be implemented. CMS has opened an additional 30-day public comment period [...]

Oral health is an essential component to the overall health and well-being of children and their families. Given our historic issues with poor oral health in Kentucky, we have made strides towards improvement in oral health by increasing access and preventive services. These are reasons why Kentucky Oral Health Coalition executive committee members are glad to see the Bevin Administration’s commitment to restore an essential benefit, such as dental coverage, to Medicaid expansion adults retroactive to July [...]