Vancouver lawmaker urges dental care support

A Vancouver legislator warns further cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates for dental care will hurt Washington residents’ overall health.

Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, recently penned a letter to the Senate and House legislators urging the state to take steps to support oral health access even as the state faces a $2.3 billion shortfall.

“We’re already seeing the negative impacts from funding cuts made last session,” Stonier said in a news release. “Dedicated Apple Health providers are being forced to make painful choices that are disproportionately impacting rural enrollees and patients with disabilities. Oral health is too important to whole personal health to ignore when making budget choices this year.”

Apple Health is the name for Medicaid in the state of Washington.

Stonier wrote the letter with Sen. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane. The two are co-chairs of the Dental One Table, a coalition of community groups, providers and advocates.

Their letter calls on the state to maintain the comprehensive Apple Health adult dental benefit as well as pediatric dental reimbursement rates; protect Apple Health dental coverage for immigrant families; continue a free dental referral service called DentistLink; expand dental care access at community health centers; and preserve oral health education funding for state universities.

“It’s a tough position to be in to be telling folks that our funding is limited and our bills cannot increase state funding or state budget impacts,” Stonier said. “At the same time, we are trying to figure out how exactly we are going to get through the challenge we’re in right now, knowing that people need access to the stuff we’ve already covered.”

In the 2025 session, the Legislature decreased Medicaid reimbursement rates by 50 percent for all procedures except those under the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry program, a state initiative for Medicaid-insured children under age 6, according to the Washington State Dental Association.

The organization warned lawmakers the cuts would be “catastrophic.”

Washington residents enrolled in Medicaid often struggle to access dental services, according to a report from the Washington State Department of Health. Significant oral health inequities exist for children from lower-income households.

In a 2024 state Department of Health survey, children from lower-income homes experienced rampant tooth decay at two times the rate of children from higher-income households.

Dr. Ronald Hsu, owner of Vancouver-based Storybook Dental, said he has capped the number of Medicaid patients he treats due to the low reimbursement rates. He says these cuts, and more that are possible due to the state’s budget shortfall, put Clark County residents in jeopardy of losing affordable dental care because it puts more financial strain on providers.

“If we can’t meet the cost, we go out of business,” Hsu said. “In order for us to survive, you end up having to make these really painful decisions. I’ve had to say goodbye to several families who I don’t want to say goodbye to. At the same time, every time I see one of their lovely children, it’s like taking money out of my own pocket to make that happen because what I receive from the state isn’t enough to keep the lights on.”

Other Clark County dental providers contacted by The Columbian either declined to comment or could not be reached. One provider’s phone system greeting for patients says it only provides care for Medicaid patients through referrals.