After a lengthy 193-day session, the Legislature adjourned last week, approving an operating budget in the nick of time but failing to pass capital budget. The operating budget effectively cuts the already underfunded Medicaid dental benefit by requiring a switch from fee-for-service to a carved-out dental managed care arrangement, pairing the move with unrealistic savings expectations of 5-6%, and allowing an additional 15% going to the administration of the managed care plan. While the ostensible purpose is to improve access by ensuring a larger network of Medicaid-accepting dentists, we expect this to be virtually unachievable due to the cut in funds and already-low reimbursement rates for dentists. Meanwhile, community health centers’ plans for expanding dental access were dashed when the capital budget failed. Watch for our legislative and budget summaries for more information on health care access in the 2017 Legislature.