Legislation to improve dental access may be only a band-aid

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Low income people enrolled in Minnesota's public health care programs are having an increasingly difficult time getting access to dental care. MNCare and other medical assistance programs don't fully reemburse dentists for treating patients on public assistance. Such patients are finding it increasingly difficult to find dentists willing to treat them, especially in rural areas. The Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill just approved by the Minnesota Legislature directs nearly $3.2 million dollars toward the problem, but some say it's only a band-aid for an issue that's reaching crisis proportions.

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