MDHHS announces Healthy Kids Dental procurement

requirements ahead of fall competitive bid

LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) today announced updated requirements for dental health plans providing services to 955,000 Michigan children covered by Medicaid and Michigan's Healthy Kids Dental Program ahead of a competitive bid process scheduled to be posted in November.

"Dental care remains one of the most unmet health needs for children, particularly in low-income and rural areas," said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. "Michigan's Healthy Kids Dental Program plays a vital role in supporting children's health, confidence and success in school. As a leader in expanding access to dental care for kids, we're building on that foundation through the upcoming rebid to better serve Michigan's youth. We encourage the dental community to take part in this important effort."

Consistent with federal standards, the rebid will include updates to Michigan's Medicaid Dental Plan network adequacy and timely access standards, which can be found on the MDHHS website. In determining whether these standards are met, MDHHS will only consider providers with whom bidders have executed contracts at the time of bid submission.

MDHHS is releasing its updates to Healthy Kids Dental network adequacy and timely access standards in advance of the rebid to provide time for potential bidders to review their provider networks and execute contracts necessary to meet these standards.

Additionally, MDHHS will only be considering statewide bids but reserves the option to select a dental plan serving only Region 10, which includes Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) will manage the RFP process on behalf of MDHHS. The RFP will be posted on the state's SIGMA Vendor-Self Service system online in fall 2025. New contracts are scheduled to begin on Oct. 1, 2026.