Mich. sued for cutting off adult dental benefits

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 400,000 adult Medicaid recipients whose dental benefits were eliminated by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to save money.

The suit announced Thursday says Michigan is legally bound to provide dental coverage to low-income and disabled adults because it hasn't notified the federal government of the change in policy.

The Democratic governor in May issued an executive order virtually eliminating funding for adult dental coverage effective July 1.

A proposed tax on doctors to restore some Medicaid funding has been rejected by the state Senate.

The federal class-action suit was filed Wednesday in Grand Rapids against Granholm.

It comes after a developmentally disabled Alpena County woman covered by Medicaid died last week after an infection in her mouth went untreated.