Making Sufficient Oral Healthcare for People with I/DD a Cost-Effective Reality: Examining the Medicaid Reimbursement Rate | NCD 20 03

Opportunity Information: Apply for NCD 20 03

This opportunity comes from the National Council on Disability (NCD), an independent federal agency that advises the President, Congress, and other policymakers on practices and policies that advance equal opportunity for people with disabilities, including economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and full inclusion in community life. NCD often carries out this mission by commissioning reports that assess how well federal and state programs work in practice and whether they align with disability rights laws. In this case, NCD signaled a forthcoming report focused on a specific and persistent gap: oral health outcomes and access to dental care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), and how Medicaid dental reimbursement rates may be contributing to that gap.

The central problem driving the project is a documented oral health disparity for people with I/DD. The notice highlights that children, adolescents, and adults with I/DD frequently face more barriers than other groups when trying to find appropriate providers, travel to appointments, and afford care. Those barriers are linked to worse oral health outcomes, including higher rates of poor oral hygiene, periodontal disease, and untreated tooth decay. NCD also emphasizes the real-world consequences of this inequity, including frustration and a sense of injustice among people with I/DD and their families, and points to low Medicaid reimbursement for oral health services as a key structural factor that can discourage provider participation and limit access to routine, preventive care.

The planned work is essentially a policy and economic analysis designed to test whether raising Medicaid reimbursement rates for preventive dental services could be a cost-effective way to improve access and outcomes for people with I/DD. The contractor or awardee would be expected to collect and analyze relevant state-level data, then evaluate the cost-benefit tradeoffs of increasing payment rates. A major angle is whether better reimbursement for prevention can reduce downstream costs by keeping people out of emergency departments and operating rooms, where dental problems may become crises requiring expensive interventions such as hospital-based treatment or anesthesia-supported procedures. In addition to analyzing reimbursement levels, the report is also expected to identify and assess alternative approaches states may already be using, such as specialized delivery models or "unique plans" that expand accessible oral health care for people with I/DD in ways that might be more cost-effective than simply raising reimbursement rates. NCD is interested in whether any of those state strategies could be scalable or adapted at the federal level.

From an administrative standpoint, the listing describes a discretionary opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism, with one expected award and an anticipated maximum funding level (award ceiling) of $100,000. The estimated period of performance for the work is ten months. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to many entity types, subject to any additional constraints that might appear in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The opportunity is associated with Funding Opportunity Number NCD 20 03 and CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) number 92.002, and it is sponsored by the National Council on Disability.

Timing details in the notice reflect that this was a pre-solicitation announcement intended for planning purposes. NCD indicated it would release the full NOFO to interested parties on May 18, 2020, and anticipated submissions would be due by close of business on June 18, 2020. The notice explains that the documents would be available through grants.gov and ncd.gov and could also be requested by email on or after the issue date. It also includes standard federal disclaimers: the pre-solicitation is not the NOFO itself, it does not commit the government to fund or contract, NCD was not accepting unsolicited proposals at that stage, and the government would not pay any costs incurred by parties responding to the pre-solicitation notice. Interested applicants were instructed to monitor grants.gov and ncd.gov for updates and could direct questions to the listed point of contact, Amged Soliman, at asoliman@ncd.gov or 202-272-2116.

• The National Council on Disability in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Making Sufficient Oral Healthcare for People with I/DD a Cost-Effective Reality: Examining the Medicaid Reimbursement Rate" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 92.002.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 11, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 18, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for NCD 20 03

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