One in five older adults in the US have lost their teeth. There is a dental care crisis. Jessica Glenza interviews Bernie Sanders for her piece in the Guardian on the need to improve dental care as part of fixing our broken health care system.
Senator Sanders has introduced a bill in the Senate to expand Medicare dental benefits and improve them in Medicaid. The bill also gives dental benefits to veterans through the Veterans Administration.
Traditional Medicare does not cover dental care. Medicare Advantage plans sometimes offer limited dental benefits, but they are so limited that people in Medicare Advantage face the same dental issues as people in Traditional Medicare.
Half of adults in the US have gum disease. Sixty nine million adults have no dental insurance and those who do often have limited coverage. Out-of-pocket costs with insurance are high. Most people can’t afford dental bills that are several thousand dollars.
Two million Americans went to the hospital because of tooth pain in 2019. Nearly half a million other people went abroad for lower-cost dental care. Dental care is much less costly in Mexico.
Having bad teeth can cause serious health issues, including malnutrition. It can be emotionally and psychologically destructive.
Senator Sanders says that expanding dental coverage in the US is a political winner. The overwhelming majority of Americans support it. He is urging President Biden to include dental benefits in Medicare as part of his re-election platform.
For his part, President Biden has taken small steps to improve dental coverage in Medicare. For example, some cancer patients with Medicare now have some dental coverage.
Republicans continue to oppose extra Medicare benefits. They claim they are unaffordable. But, it’s all a question of government priorities. Republicans are happy to approve $900 billion in military spending and tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
The American Dental Association opposes a dental benefit in Medicare. It fears a large administrative burden on dentists.
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