Stop the Dental Cuts

Proposed $861 million Medi-Cal Dental cut puts California children’s health at risk.

Please help us stop California’s proposed $861M cut in Medi-Cal Dental funding. Nearly half of all kids and one-third of adults rely on Medi-Cal Dental for their dental care. Medi-Cal Dental services, funded by Proposition 56 for the past 10 years, is planned to be cut by 43% in July 2026.

This massive cut will increase the rates of untreated oral disease which can lead to:

Difficulty speaking and eating, along with learning disabilities
Chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and adverse pregnancy outcomes which are fare more expensive than preventative dental care
Conditions that escalate to more emergency room visits with an average cost of $2,453 per visit

Cutting dental care may save some money in the short-term but will increase costs for taxpayers and hospitals later. Every $1 spent on preventive dental care saves $8–$50 in future treatments.

Continuing Proposition 56 funding will ensure kids get the treatment they need by preserving $332 million in state funding along with $529 million in federal matching funds. The cost to California taxpayers is small compared to the long-term public costs of untreated dental conditions.

Take Action Form

Please sign our petition today to demand that state leaders restore Prop 56 funding for Medi-Cal Dental. Enter your home address below, and we'll send a letter on your behalf to your local elected officials.

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We'll send the following message to your local elected officials.

Dear [Legislator Name],

It is essential that you restore Proposition 56 tobacco tax funding for the Medi-Cal Dental program in the 2026/2027 fiscal year budget.  Nearly $900 million of funding in this federally matched program will be lost disproportionately to the millions of children and adults who rely on Medi-Cal Dental for their oral healthcare needs.

In overwhelmingly passing Proposition 56 in 2016, voters were told that the revenue would be used to expand Medi Cal access to care, including dental services.  Children, seniors, people with disabilities and minorities in low-income communities had been underserved and  were a priority!¹

Dental providers increased by 34% (nearly 1,600), which resulted in improved oral and overall health of millions of Californians.  Dental office visits increased by 37%.

Terminating Prop 56 funding will result in thousands of dentists leaving the program as the cost of running dental practices in California is higher than anywhere in the country due to high minimum wage and labor costs and the high expenses for insurance, equipment, supplies, and facilities.  The reduced access to care for our needy Californians would go against the fabric of what makes California a leader in providing healthcare to its residents.

Untreated oral disease leads to emergency room visits, hospitalizations, avoidable medical complications, missed school days for children, lost workdays for adults, and complications such as infections, diabetes complications, and cardiovascular issues. These will cost the state more!

Before Prop 56, the Medi-Cal Dental program rates had not increased meaningfully since the program’s inception in 1966,²  and were at 30%-40% of commercial rates.  Terminating Prop 56 will roll rates back to these minuscule levels.  It is unrealistic to think that dentists will accept them.  The inequity to the millions of Californians who rely on this program would be unjust.

I ask that you champion restoration of the Prop 56 funds in the current budget process to ensure that California continue to honor its commitment to our residents in need.

Thank you for your leadership and for your attention to this critical issue.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

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¹See, e.g., “Weakness in Its Medi-Cal Dental Program limit Children’s Access to Dental Care” (2014, California State Auditor); “Denti-Cal Audit Summary” (2015, The Children’s Partnership); :”State Policy Reports” (2013-2018, Pew Charitable Trusts); “DHCS Internal and External Reviews Leading to the Dental Transformatiin Initiative (2014-2015)” published in response to federal and state oversight (2015, DHCS); “Academic and Policy Analyses” (2014-2018, UCSF Healthforce Center).

²In November 2024 voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 35, which was intended to provide funding for Medi-Cal programs, including dental.  Minimal or no increases have as yet been provided to the dental program.

Messages to elected officials will be sent at the optimal moment for the campaign.

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