(The Center Square) — An audit conducted on one of Medicaid’s largest dental providers in Louisiana showed its spending and networking fell short of expectations.
The Louisiana Department of Health began contracting with DentaQuest and MCNA Insurance Company on January 1, 2021 to provide Medicaid members with covered dental benefits and services.
From 2014 through 2020, the state health department contracted solely with MCNA for dental services. However, the agency now contracts with two dental benefit programs because federal law requires that states give Medicaid members a choice of at least two programs.
The total cost of both contracts through Dec. 31, 2023, was approximately $736 million. The following year, the department sought and received approval from the Legislature for a two-year extension of MCNA’s contract through Dec. 31, 2025.
