Christine Jordan Sexton
One of the state’s largest Medicaid HMOs, Sunshine Health Plan, announced on Thursday that Dental Health & Wellness is its new dental benefits manager. Both companies are affiliated with Centene.
Patients can continue to see their dental providers for 90 days during the transition period. Providers who want to join Dental Health & Wellness network can sign up with the company.
Sunshine Health had more than 389,000 members in the Managed Medical Assistance program and nearly another 33,000 in the Managed Long Term Care program in December 2014, the latest enrollment reports show.
Dental benefits are required in both the Managed Medical Assistance and Long-Term Care programs.
“At Sunshine Health, we believe in a holistic approach to healthcare, as we know quality dental care is beneficial to a person’s overall health,” Sunshine CEO Chris Paterson said in a prepared release.
Scott Laihinen, Dental Health & Wellness president and CEO, echoed those remarks. “Preventative routine dental care is critical to maintaining a person’s overall health,” he said in the press release. “Through our partnership with Sunshine Health, we demonstrate our commitment to providing Medicaid recipients with access to quality dental services, especially children.”
