By Ifetayo Johnson And Shawn Gremminger, Opinion Contributors
— 12/25/19 07:00 Am Est 181
The Views Expressed By Contributors Are Their Own And Not The
View Of The Hill
Amidst
all of the political noise in recent weeks, the House of Representatives passed
a policy that could transform health care for tens of millions of Americans. It
may even be something that will please everyone.
The
provision is based on an idea that is wildly popular with voters of all
political stripes and backgrounds: adding oral health coverage to Medicare.
H.R.3 would cover screening and preventive services, basic and primary
treatments, and dentures.
The
House vote comes more than half a century after Congress created the federal
health-care program for senior citizens and disabled Americans. Getting such a
bill enacted would be life-changing for the estimated 37 million people on
Medicare who can’t afford to get regular dental care.
When
the legislation passed his committee this fall, Ways and Means Chairman Richard
E. Neal (D-Mass.) called it “one of the biggest positive changes to Medicare in
a generation.” Voters across the political spectrum seem to agree.
In a
time where divisions between political parties and differences across
generations almost always define public discourse, the strong support for
adding oral health coverage to Medicare is striking. In an August poll from
Families USA/YouGov, 7 out of 10 likely voters said they favor adding dental
benefits to Medicare.
While
voters who identified themselves as liberal were most likely to be in favor of
adding dental, we still see a significant majority of moderates (75 percent)
and conservatives (56 percent) backing the idea.
The
most reliable support for dental benefits by age group may come from voters
over age 65 (74 percent). Still, the numbers were fairly consistent among all
age groups, including 66 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds. Support is reliable
across all voter demographic groups, including race, ethnicity, gender,
geography, and ideology.
The
ardent demand for dental coverage shouldn’t be surprising. Dental care is
essential to our overall health, our quality of life, and vital nourishment.
People deal with those consequences every day.
Yet,
Medicare excludes coverage for almost all dental services. It also does not
require its Medicare Advantage managed care plans to offer dental
insurance—although some do to attract enrollees. According to the Kaiser Family
Foundation, that leaves an estimated 37 million people who rely on Medicare for
their health care without any oral health coverage. As a result, many of these
seniors and people with disabilities cannot afford to get dental care that is
essential to their well being.
Going
without regular dental care can contribute to health complications or allow
serious illnesses to go undiagnosed. The first signs of diabetes and other
chronic diseases can show up in a dental checkup.
Research
has linked gum disease to many serious health problems — including diabetes,
heart disease, and stroke — and shows that dental treatment can help alleviate
those problems. In some of these cases, providing dental care can even reduce
overall health-care costs.
If our
political leaders genuinely want to improve health and health care in the
United States, comprehensive dental coverage to Medicare is a responsible
investment. The House of Representatives has made this realization, and their
recent legislation is a significant step toward improving our nation’s health
Still,
some politicians have yet to come around. The Senate has made no indication
that they intend to move forward with oral health legislation, and few
policymakers include oral health among their health-care priorities. That must
change.
This is
a nonpartisan issue with broad support from Americans of all ages and
viewpoints. It ought to be an easy call for any policymaker or candidate who
wants a better health system.
Ifetayo
Johnson is the executive director of the Oral Health Progress and Equity
Network (OPEN) Inc. OPEN brings change agents together to make sure that
every person has the keys to access good oral health.
Shawn
Gremminger is the senior director of federal relations at Families USA.
Families USA is a leading national voice for health care consumers dedicated to
the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care and improved health for
all.
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