Dental Care for Individuals with Medicaid/BadgerCare Plus or Uninsured

Finding a dentist can sometimes be difficult depending on if you have dental insurance and what type of coverage you have. In fact, access to oral health care is a major issue in Wisconsin and throughout the United States. Lack of dental insurance and low reimbursement rates for state-funded insurance programs are two major barriers. We hope this information may assist you in finding some options in La Crosse and the surrounding area.

If you have Medicaid/BadgerCare Plus:

• For a listing of dentists that are Medicaid certified providers please visit: www.forwardhealth.wi.gov and click on “Find a Provider” under the Members section in the upper right hand corner. Select dentist for the provider type and enter the city or county you are looking for.
• Contact the dentists listed to see if they are currently accepting patients with this coverage.
• You may also contact Forward Health Member Services at 1-800-362-3002.

If you have Medicaid/BadgerCare Plus, Medicare, or you do not have dental insurance:

Scenic Bluffs Community Health Center
238 Front St Cashton, WI 54619
(608) 785-2550 or (608) 654-5100 (extension for dental is 212) info@scenicbluffs.org

If you do not have health insurance, are unemployed, or have an income level that makes it difficult for you to pay for care, a sliding fee scale is offered called the Healthy Neighbor Plan. Depending on your family’s size and income, your charges for care could be reduced.

Black River Falls Dental Clinic
N6571 Lumberjack Guy Road Black River Falls, WI 54615
(715) 670-0400

A dental financial assistance program is available to help patients that have limited income and have out-of-pocket dental expenses. For more information about this program, please talk with the patient financial services staff.

Mauston Dental Center
880 Herriot Dr Mauston, WI 53948
(608) 847-6700

Other Free or Low Cost Health Clinics in Wisconsin
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/forwardhealth/clinics.htm

Donated Dental Services in Wisconsin

Donated Dental Services (DDS) is a Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) program. The program is directed to people who are unable to afford needed dental care because of a limited income which is clearly linked to a permanent disability, chronic illness, or advanced age (65 and over). All the information pertaining to the applicant’s need is based on a completed application and a phone interview done by the referral coordinator.

Contact Carrie Golabowski, toll free at 866-812-9840 or by email: cgolabowski@wda.org

If you are in need of urgent dental care related to pain:

St. Clare Health Mission
916 Ferry St La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 392-9546

Income eligibility guidelines
Open Tuesday and Thursday 5-7 PM & the first and third Wednesday of the month 8-11 AM

Gundersen Health System
1900 South Ave La Crosse, WI 54601
Nurse Advisor (608) 775-4454

Need referral from another dentist and fax to oral surgery. After referral is received need to call on the 1st of the month for an appointment.

Mayo Health System
700 West Ave S La Crosse, WI 54601
Nurse Line (608) 785-0940

If you need transportation assistance:

MTM

Wisconsin’s Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus non-emergency medical transportation manager.

You can contact them at 866-907-1493 at least two business days before your appointment. Same day rides can be scheduled within three hours if you have an urgent need. Please note that you will be on hold for at least 20 minutes.

You may also schedule a ride online at https://smp.mtm-inc.net/.

Find a Ride
If you do not have coverage through Medicaid/BadgerCare Plus you can contact Find a Ride at 888-300-9766.

Important Reminders:

• Why must I keep my scheduled dental appointments?

To make sure you and your child’s mouth stay healthy, you must keep all of your dental appointments. When you miss an appointment, getting another appointment might take a long time because of the dentist’s busy schedule. When this happens you or your child might have more dental problems.

If you do not show for a dental appointment, the dentist has lost valuable treatment time. You may not be allowed to schedule another appointment at that dental office again.

• Tips to keep your dental appointment
If your dentist sent you a postcard, write the appointment date and time on the calendar right away.

Put the appointment card where you can see it often.

Use only one calendar to keep track of all your appointments.

Find a babysitter or a ride to the dentist ahead of time. Do not wait until the day of the appointment.

Make sure you arrive 15 minutes early for your first appointment with the dentist.

Arrive 5 minutes early for all other dental visits.

If you can’t keep your appointment, call the dentist at least one day ahead of time.

If you continue having difficulty getting an appointment:

• Please contact the La Crosse County Health Department at (608) 785-9723 to discuss further options.
• You may also want to contact your local elected representative at 1-800-362-9472 to discuss some of the issues you are having.

For more information:
• La Crosse County Oral Health Program
www.lacrossecounty.org/health/docs/ForYourHealth/Oral%20Health.pdf

Seal-A-Smile Parent Consent Form

Sealant Fact Sheet

• Wisconsin Department of Health Services Oral Health Program
www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/oral-health/index.htm