Members of the Senate Finance Committee had a lot of questions about the long term effects of cutting dental care for low income, disabled, and elderly adults. Would the loss of preventative teeth cleanings lead to more expensive health problems? Does the change mean Medicaid recipients will just resort to going to the emergency room? Steven Costantino, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, says his office recommends the cuts reluctantly.

"Of all the optional services, this becomes the least onerous," Constantino says, "but quite frankly, it's still a difficult decision."

Costantino says he too is worried about the cost of emergency room visits for Medicaid patients with dental problems, but the department had to cut spending somewhere.

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