Illinois Public Aid (All Kids insurance, Medical Card, Medicaid) now covers orthodontic treatment (braces) for children under the age of 20.

Under new Illinois statue, if your child is covered under All Kids dental insurance (also known as Public Aid, KidCare, MedicAid, Medical Card) he or she may qualify for orthodontic treatment (braces, Invisalign). However, not all patients covered by All kids Medical Card insurance will qualify for braces. You child must be pre-approved for braces before an orthodontist can start treatment. Please read bellow for full details about orthodontic coverage by Public Aid in the state of Illinois.

Medicaid is a form of government-funded health care coverage available to families and individuals residing in Illinois. Illinois has two Medicaid (Medical Card) programs specifically for children, All Kids and Family Care.

All Kids insurance provides health care to children of low-income families, while Family Care provides coverage for children and their parents. Each of these programs includes dental care for kids and might assists in paying for orthodontic treatment (braces, Invisalign, surgical orthodontics). The dental program is administered by DentaQuest of Illinois and Liberty Dental.

Not all kids covered under the state insurance program qualify for orthodontic treatment (braces). Illinois Medicaid (All Kids, Medical Card, Public Aid) administrators must pre-approve all patients for braces before an orthodontist can start treatment. Only children with moderate-severe orthodontic problems will qualify for orthodontic treatment. Orthodontists use special Index to indicate the severity of a patient’s need for orthodontic treatment (braces). However, all covered children younger than age 20 qualify to be considered for assistance in getting braces. Therefore, if your son or daughter has Public Aid (All Kids insurance) he or she might be a candidate for covered orthodontic treatment.

To find out if your child will be covered for orthodontic treatment, you must first come to state approved orthodontic provider for an initial orthodontic consultation. Two state approved orthodontic providers are Orthodontic Experts of Arlington Heights (847-749-4340) and Orthodontic Experts West in Chicago (773-801-7171). At the complimentary orthodontic consultation, the orthodontist will evaluate your child and will let you know if he/she qualifies to have the records (photographs, models of teeth, X-ray images) submitted for pre-approval to Public Aid (All Kids, Medical Card) office. If he/she does qualify, then we will take the necessary orthodontic records and will submit them to the Public Aid administrators (DentaQuest).

There is no charge to you for initial orthodontic consultation and necessary records. Once an orthodontic case is submitted for pre-approval, it normally takes 3-4 weeks for the case to be evaluated by the Illinois All Kids (Public Aid, KidCare, Medicaid, Medical Card) administrator. You will be contacted directly by the All Kids administrators with the coverage decision. The decision will be either “approved” or “denied.” If your child is approved for orthodontic treatment (braces), you will be scheduled to come back to the orthodontic office to start treatment.

To schedule your child’s orthodontic consultation, please contact Orthodontic Experts of Arlington Heights (847)749-4340 or Orthodontic Experts West in Chicago (773)801-7171. More details about orthodontic coverage with Public Aid (All Kids, Medical Card, Medicaid) is available on http://publicaidbraces.com