Add Dental/Oral Health Coverage to Medicare for All Beneficiaries

Add Dental/Oral Health Coverage to Medicare for All Beneficiaries Over the past few months, the Center for Medicare Advocacy has issued a series of factsheets developed in collaboration with esteemed dentist and advocate, Larry Coffee, DDS. The factsheets explain in layperson’s terms the interrelationship between oral health and certain common medical conditions – and offer important tips to people who may have these conditions, and to their caregivers, advocates, and health care providers. As part of the series, we now add a factsheet about Medicare’s oral/dental coverage policy. The Center regularly gets calls from people seeking clarity on what dental services Medicare will and will not cover. Often, the callers are beneficiaries facing profound health challenges because they cannot afford medically essential oral/dental care. Unfortunately, as the factsheet explains, Medicare currently covers dental services only in very limited circumstances. But there may be good news on the horizon! There is presently real Congressional interest in addressing the vital need for expanded dental coverage in Medicare. Legislators are finally understanding what the public has known all along – that oral health is critical to overall health. Polling reflects that the proposal to add dental benefits to Medicare is highly popular among U.S. voters across the political spectrum. Because the current moment presents a rare opportunity to legislate such a proposal, it is key time for people to contact and urge their federal lawmakers to include dental coverage in Medicare. Act Now Contact your legislators at: https://medicareadvocacy.org/take-action/  Read our Medicare Oral Health Fact Sheets Fact Sheet - Important Facts about Medicare & Dental /Oral Health Coverage  Fact Sheet - Rheumatic Diseases, Arthritis, and Joint Replacement Fact Sheet - Dental Issues Related to Cancer Treatment Fact Sheet - The Dental and Heart Disease Relationship Fact Sheet - The Diabetes and Dental Disease Connection Fact Sheet - Dental Issues Related to Pulmonary Diseases Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc. • www.MedicareAdvocacy.org • PO Box 350, Willimantic, CT 06226 • 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036