Attitudes About Administrative Burdens for Beneficiaries and Dental Care Providers in Medicaid

OBJECTIVES: To assess public attitudes about a variety of burden-reducing policies related to oral health services in the Medicaid program. METHODS: We fielded a national survey (N = 5784) using Lucid from May 7 to 15, 2024. Respondents were queried whether they supported seven burden-reducing policies for the Medicaid program focused on both beneficiaries and oral healthcare providers related to oral health services. The survey also contained an experiment that highlighted (1) the importance of dental care, (2) administrative burdens for beneficiaries, (3) dental challenges for children in poverty, (4) dental challenges for children of color, or (5) administrative burdens for dental providers. We relied on descriptive statistics as well as linear probability models to assess. RESULTS: Overall, we found substantial support for reducing burden, ranging from 73.2% for referral requirements for physicians to a high of 92.1% for facilitating dentist credentialing. We found no differences across the various informational treatments. Analysis of the pooled data indicated that Americans were broadly supportive of reducing burdens for both beneficiaries and providers. We identified consistent differences based on ideology, racial resentment, racial resentment, empathy, awareness of disparities, burden tolerance, administrative capital, and connection to the Medicaid program. CONCLUSION: The American public broadly supports burden reductions for both beneficiaries and providers. More research is needed to assess public attitudes related to oral health services policies.