To: The Connecticut State House, The Connecticut State Senate, and Governor Ned Lamont
Connecticut's policy of choice does not extend to Medicaid patients
On March 1, 2015, The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) told dentists "Medicaid will not pay for composite restorations in the molar teeth regardless of whether the practice markets itself as 'amalgam-free.'"
This policy forbids CHOICE for MEDICAID patients even though the consumer right to choose is not only a policy of the State of Connecticut but also of the dental profession at large. This separate and unequal practice has no place in our society!
We support an end to the requirement that Medicaid patients receive mercury-based fillings. The right to be free from harm is a human right that should apply to EVERYONE!
This policy forbids CHOICE for MEDICAID patients even though the consumer right to choose is not only a policy of the State of Connecticut but also of the dental profession at large. This separate and unequal practice has no place in our society!
We support an end to the requirement that Medicaid patients receive mercury-based fillings. The right to be free from harm is a human right that should apply to EVERYONE!
Why is this important?
Dental amalgam is 50 % Mercury. Mercury is a neurotoxin, a reproductive toxin, and a pollutant of global concern due to its significant negative effects on human health and the environment. There are Mercury-free alternatives and half of U.S. Dentists have abandoned the use of amalgam, most favoring composite fillings. However, the State of Connecticut expelled from Medicaid any dentist who Is Mercury-free. The policy states, " if your office cannot provide amalgam services, please have your patients call the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership ... to locate a new dental home"