A bill introduced by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders would significantly expand access to oral health care by adding dental benefits to Medicare and expanding Medicaid, the public health insurance program that serves a combined 115 million elderly and low-income Americans.
Despite Americans being known for their flashy “Hollywood smiles,” millions of people struggle to afford basic dental care. One in five older Americans Lost all natural teethNearly half of adults have some Periodontal disease Painful tooth decay The most common reasons The kids are off school.
“If you look objectively at the reality facing Americans, it’s clear that there is a crisis in American dental care,” Sanders told The Guardian in an exclusive interview. “Imagine that happening in the richest country in the world.”
Almost 69 million Almost as an adult 7 million children They don’t have dental insurance, and even for those who do, the costs are often unclear and expensive. Thousands of dollar bills It’s so common that the American Dental Association (ADA), the nation’s largest dental association, states: Exclusive Partnership Partnered with medical credit card companies.
In 2019, more than 2 million Americans visited emergency rooms for toothache, up 62% since 2014. And rising health care costs have led to an estimated 490,000 Americans Traveling to other countries, such as Mexico, to seek cheaper dental care.
“The issue of dental care is something we’ve been working on for years,” Sanders said. “I think it’s an issue that deeply concerns tens of millions of Americans, but it hasn’t received much of the attention it deserves in the media.”
Sanders said he has seen how poor dental health affects every aspect of life, citing voters who cover their mouths when laughing or are turned down for jobs because they don’t have teeth.
Sanders took to town hall meetings in his home state of Vermont to talk about how difficult and expensive dental care is to get, and how “inappropriate” it is for Americans. [how] Dental Insurance [is] It’s completely inadequate.”
“Bad or misaligned teeth are a sign of poverty,” Sanders says. “It’s a personal problem, a psychological problem and an economic problem.”
Sanders’ Bill It expands dental coverage by adding comprehensive benefits to Medicare, encourages states to improve dental benefits through Medicaid, and provides dental benefits to veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In addition, the bill would Dentist shortage It would create a student loan forgiveness program for dentists who practice in underserved areas and increase funding for dentists to practice in non-traditional locations, like community health centers and schools.
Expanded dental insurance is very popular. Recent Opinion Polls Ninety-two percent of voters, including an overwhelming majority of Republicans, support the proposal, which Sanders called good policy and “very good politics.”
Sanders also said: Lobbied the Biden administration Making Medicare Dental Benefits Part of the President’s Reelection Campaign: The Biden Administration has taken incremental steps to improve health insurance coverage for dental care through federal rulemaking.
As an example, the Biden administration Expansion of dental insurance The rule applies to some Medicare beneficiaries with cancer. Analysts expect the rule will only affect a small number of beneficiaries, but it’s important because Medicare has traditionally excluded dental care.
Despite public support and the poor dental health of Americans, Republican lawmakers and conservative think tanks have called the proposal “Look for problems and look for solutions“
“Medicare is on track to be bankrupt in a little over a decade, so before we add to the program, we should also think about making it sustainable,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana. Committee Hearings Regarding last week’s invoice.
The ADA also Opposed past efforts It proposed adding dental care benefits to Medicare, arguing in part that the administrative burden of accepting Medicare would be too great for many dental offices.
“It goes without saying that insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies have countless lobbyists in Washington,” Sanders said, before adding that “our health care system’s function is not to provide quality care, but to generate huge profits for the drug companies and the insurance companies.”
In response to questions from the Guardian, an ADA spokesperson said: “Improving access to oral health care in America will require a multi-pronged approach. Improvements will require multiple measures.”
The group said it supports efforts to improve the workforce but did not mention Medicare benefits.
Sanders doesn’t expect the entire bill to move forward because of Republican control of the House, but he believes “pieces” of it could “move forward,” such as providing more support for veterans’ benefits and Medicaid dental benefits.
“Republicans are willing to spend $900 billion on the military, but when it comes to quality health care for the American people, that’s not their priority,” Sanders said.
This isn’t Sanders’ first attempt to expand access to dental care in the US. In 2021, he also received overwhelming support for a proposal to add dental, vision and hearing benefits to Medicare. 84% of voters Republicans make up the majority.
However, the large-scale social and environmental bill that includes this proposal Build Back Better That bill died after Democrats failed to persuade the ranking member of their caucus, Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to back it. Democrats ultimately passed a slimmed-down version of the anti-inflation bill that stripped out the health care proposal.
“This isn’t just about dentistry,” Sanders said. “Our entire health care system is broken and dysfunctional. Policy-wise, dentistry is health care.”
