Quick Take
As Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to release California’s proposed budget, Medi-Cal dental benefits are again at risk amid a challenging fiscal outlook, writes Dientes CEO Laura Marcus. For Santa Cruz County — where roughly one-third of residents rely on Medi-Cal — potential cuts would directly affect access to essential dental care. Marcus warns that dental benefits, though a small share of Medi-Cal spending, are cost-effective, preventive and critical to overall health and economic stability. She urges residents to stay engaged – and tell their stories of how dental care affects their lives – as budget negotiations begin.
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In the next week, the governor will release California’s proposed state budget — an annual moment that sets the stage for months of hearings, negotiations and tough decisions. For many Californians, the budget can feel distant. But for the tens of thousands of Santa Cruz County residents who rely on Medi-Cal, what happens in Sacramento in the coming months will directly determine whether they can access the dental services they need to stay healthy.
Last year, health programs absorbed some of the largest cuts across state governments. Those cuts could have been much deeper without strong advocacy from community providers, patients and a remarkably supportive legislative delegation. Even so, this year’s fiscal landscape could prove equally challenging, and the Medi-Cal dental benefit — though just about 2% of Medi-Cal spending — is again at risk.
I write today because protecting this benefit is essential not only to the health of our patients, but to the economic and social well-being of Santa Cruz County.
Dental care is inseparable from overall health. Untreated dental disease can escalate into infection, complicate chronic illnesses and cost children valuable days of school. Adults lose work hours, wages and even jobs due to dental pain or missing teeth.
In Santa Cruz County, where approximately one-third of residents are enrolled in Medi-Cal, these consequences fall disproportionately on families, seniors, farmworkers, hospitality workers, and more already navigating housing costs, food insecurity and child care expenses. Dental coverage often determines whether people get timely care — or suffer in silence.
For our neighbors, dental benefits are not optional — they are essential.
At Dientes, we see the impact every day. A grandparent who can eat heartily again after years of discomfort. A young worker was able to keep a job because they finally received treatment for a missing tooth. A child no longer needs emergency care because she got treatment for preventable dental infections.
These stories illustrate what’s at stake as the state weighs difficult budget choices. Preserving Medi-Cal dental benefits maintains these outcomes — and prevents suffering.
Last year’s avoided cuts were the result of strong advocacy from our elected delegation, and that same engagement will be required again. Leadership from Assemblymember Dawn Addis, who is chair of the Assembly budget subcommittee on health, unquestionable support from Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and continued advocacy from state Sen. John Laird and Assemblymember Gail Pellerin were key in last year’s budget.
But uncertainties loom. Dental benefits are cost-effective, preventive, and central to long-term health. Yet, because they are a small line item, they are often viewed as expendable. We must push back against that misconception.
Local dental organizations like Dientes rely on stable Medi-Cal funding to operate efficiently, maintain staffing, and provide access. Preventive care is the most affordable and effective health intervention we have — and it reduces emergency room visits, which carry far higher costs.
Instability in Medi-Cal funding jeopardizes that progress.
As the budget cycle begins, we urge Santa Cruz County residents to stay engaged, informed and vocal. Share your stories by writing to Lookout with the subject line: dental care in Santa Cruz County. Explain what happened to you and why dental care has mattered to you and your family and/or what kind of coverage you need. Support local safety-net clinics and make clear to your representatives that dental care is not a luxury. It is foundational to the health of our children, seniors and workforce.
Protecting Medi-Cal dental benefits protects Santa Cruz County.
Laura Marcus is CEO of Dientes Community Dental Care.