Blog | June 23, 2017
We need your help!

We are now in the third Special Session of the State Legislature. Both the Senate and House budgets include funding for the Oral Health Connections pilot, which would provide an enhanced Medicaid dental benefit for expectant mothers and people with diabetes.

There’s bipartisan support for the pilot because lawmakers from all corners of the state recognize that smart, targeted investments can lead to better health, fewer ER visits and a decrease in severe complications.

As lawmakers make their final push toward approving a budget, we urge you remind them that expanding dental care access can make a real difference, especially for at-risk and vulnerable populations. Please reach out to your representatives now and throughout the remainder of the Special Session, and urge them to support the Oral Health Connections pilot.

Here’s how you can help:

• Call your lawmakers directly. OralHealthWatch.org has made it easy for constituents to contact legislators. The Oral Health Watch legislative outreach page helps you locate your representatives, and includes a phone number and a script.
• Email your representatives. The Oral Health Watch website includes a legislator locator tool, email addresses, and a draft email to get you started.
• Reach out to your lawmakers on social media. Below are some sample tweets to send to your representatives.
  • @[insert lawmaker Twitter handle]: Dental access, better health, fewer hospital stays & #teethmatter. Please support the Oral Health Connections pilot.
  • @waleg: Please support Oral Health Connections pilot to improve dental access for expectant moms and diabetes patients because #teethmatter
  • @ [insert lawmaker Twitter handle]: Please support the Oral Health Connections pilot and smart policies that expand dental care access b/c #teethmatter

Finally, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news. Thank you for your support!