Houston taxpayers fleeced for children’s dental care
Share this story:
The operators of Children 1st Dental and Surgery Center want the Texas Health Department to investigate how taxpayer money is wasted in Houston area Medicaid payments.
Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center (C1DS) has been providing a safe compassionate alternative, to the barbaric dental procedure of strapping down screaming kids on a papoose board or providing anesthesia so little kids can sleep while even the most extensive dental work is done in a safe surgical setting.
All over the state, predominantly underprivileged kids have a safe alternative that prevents a life trauma or even death. However in the Houston Area, Children 1st says they are being shut out of seeing underprivileged kids by the Texas Children’s Health Plan. This insurance company is forcing kids to drive up to 80 miles to go to Medical Center Hospitals for more expensive procedures.
“This is about money. We do the same exact medical treatment but charge a fraction of what these hospitals are now billing Medicaid,” says Dr. Craig Jacobs of C1DS. “This is unfair to patients and their parents, and this is an outrageous waste of taxpayer money.”
One out of three Houston area children have insurance through the Texas Children’s Health Plan. Hundreds of dentists who want to send their patients to C1DS can’t. The Chief Beneficiary of this insurance game is Texas Children’s Hospital.
“All over the state we have been welcome, except in Houston where just one insurance company corners the Medicaid market,” says Dr. Jacobs. “It is time for the State to protect these children and make it as convenient as possible to get safe treatment.”
Keep up with us on social media:
