Getting dental coverage added to Medicare faces pushback from some dentists

[SheltieLover]

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/10/29/1050263559/biden-medicare-dental-coverage-congress

Snip

A once-in-a-generation opportunity
Health equity advocates see President Biden's Build Back Better agenda as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide dental coverage for those on Medicare, nearly half of whom did not visit a dentist in 2018 — well before the pandemic paused dental appointments for many people. The rates were even higher for Black (68%), Hispanic (61%) and low-income (73%) seniors.


The coverage was left out of a new framework announced by Biden on Thursday, but proponents still hope they can get the coverage in a final agreement. Complicating their push is a debate over how many of the nation's more than 60 million Medicare beneficiaries should receive it.

Advocates of dental coverage for everyone on Medicare find themselves up against an unlikely adversary: the American Dental Association, which is backing an alternative plan that would give dental benefits only to low-income Medicare recipients.

More at link. 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

Don't you love the way dental & vision coverage have been excluded, in favor of hearing aids. Not to say hearing aids aren't important, but do more people need to be able to eat & see than hear? Broader coverage would have included dental & vision, imo, simply due to the number of people whose lives would dramatically improve as a result.

[XanaDUer2]

1. Thanks, ADA nt

[SheltieLover]

3. No kidding!

Shameful!

One of the saddest things I've ever seen was during a visit to a county nursing home with a friend.

Very few seniors had even dentures! Their food was all mush. Literally.

Of course, as it was explained go me, the nursing home sucked up all the elders' resources for the "privilege" of existing there.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Dental should be included.

Gum disease is connected medically to some heart conditions.

[SheltieLover]

4. Absolutely! Not to mention one needs the ability to chew food in order to derive needed nutrients!

[Hoyt]

5. They weren't serious about Dental coverage in BBB. It wasn't scheduled to start until 2028.

[Grasswire2]

8. !!!!

I did not know that.

[SheltieLover]

11. Of course

[greenjar_01]

6. Oh, it's the part of the story where they tell us providers will reject it!

I remember this greatest hit from when it was "No doctors will accept Obamacare." Tra la. It's like retro day up in here.

[Grasswire2]

7. Bad teeth can kill ya. Hearing loss won't.

The current status makes no sense, medically.

[DavidDvorkin]

12. True, but hearing loss does appear to contribute to developing dementia.

[Hortensis]

9. F*k them. Seriously. If I knew my dentist objected,

I'd find another. I want one who thinks it's most of a century past time, which many do. Concern should be for adequate Medicare compensation and coverage for treatments patients need.

Gotta disagree about hearing. The social costs and practical handicaps of inadequate hearing can be enormous. Losing friends and family, inability to handle personal affairs in person, even to ask the price of something in a store, unable to chat with grandchildren, being a tiresome duty for people forced to try to chat with you, being invited to Thanksgiving dinner but left out of dozens of activities all year. Loneliness, depression, suicide.

My aunt spent the last years of her life effectively alone in an ALC surrounded by many people her age because she couldn't participate socially. And when she was with friends they talked past and over her while she just sat there, of course. She had hearing aids but was one of those who found the technology available miserable to use.

[MagickMuffin]

10. The ADA and the insurance industry makes well sure nothing interferes with the Mega$$$$ they make

4 on 1 dental implants can cost upwards of $30,000 and up. Of course they claim this procedure is cosmetic and therefore exempt from using their insurance for this particular process. Dentures do not provide the loss of gum tissue like a 4 on 1 would do, but because it has been classified as cosmetic most people cannot even get the procedure which would help them the most.


Even though the benefits are tremendous those two orgs are in cahoots with one another.

[SheltieLover]

13. I doubt Medicare would cover implants

But dental care & regular dentures would be great for so many people!

[Rhiannon12866]

14. I couldn't agree more. Everyone needs to go to the dentist, not everyone needs hearing aids

[SheltieLover]

16. Right!

Same with vision coverage!

[Rhiannon12866]

20. True, when I had my checkup last week, I was asked if I had a dentist (I see mine regularly)

And also if I had an eye doctor. I've actually seen two in my life, but that was a long time ago and they both passed away (one fell off of a cliff while out hiking(!)) and the other sadly died young of a heart attack. They were both very nice. But since I don't need glasses, I've never looked for another one and I was told that I should have one. Nobody mentioned my hearing and that's not an issue, either.

[SheltieLover]

21. Maybe they presumed your hearing is ok, as you didnXt appear to have difficulty hearing them

Glad you have a dentist & that your vision is good!

A shame about your 2 docs premature deaths.

[Rhiannon12866]

22. LOL! No, I didn't ask anyone to repeat themselves.

And I know my dentist well, she's treated my entire extended family. It's a trip to see her since she took over the practice of the dentist I started seeing when I got teeth - after he retired. And I now live about an hour north of where I was born, but she's very good and I trust her - and after I happened to have an appointment with her on 9/11, I have since found out that she's "one of us," I've shown her things here on DU. And her young assistant is "one of us," too.

And the last time I got my drivers' license renewed, the lady asked me to read the last line on the eye chart, I did so and was out in record time. Though I do have some issues seeing at night, but that's not new and glasses wouldn't help with that.

[A HERETIC I AM]

15. Only in the United States....

Are the eyes, ears and teeth not considered parts of the rest of the body, and therefore need to be separately insured. There are entire industries desperately fighting to keep things the way they are, at the expense of the health of millions who have no say in the matter.

This country is fucking doomed, I swear.

[SheltieLover]

17. I couldn't agree more!

Ridiculous!

Why should seniors be able to chew their food to derive nutrients or be able to see?

[Silver Swan]

18. In my possibly faulty memory the AMA was against Medicare

No further comment, my memory may be wrong.

[SheltieLover]

19. No doubt