Wendell Potter: America's Hidden Epidemic that Obamacare Barely Touches

[antigop]

http://wendellpotter.com/2013/09/americas-hidden-epidemic-that-obamacare-barely-touches/

While we’ve been reminded countless times that nearly 50 million Americans have no medical insurance — one of the compelling reasons for health care reform — comparatively little attention has been paid to the fact far more of us — an estimated 130 million — lack dental insurance. And of those who do have it, coverage is often skimpy at best.

As if that weren’t bad enough, we have a shortage of dentists that is only going to get worse when the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented in a little more than three months. The good news is that the ACA will increase the number of children eligible for dental coverage under existing federal programs by up to 5.3 million. The bad news is that there will not be enough dentists to treat them. There aren’t enough to meet current demand. Only a small percentage of dentists accept Medicaid patients. And nearly 50 million Americans live in communities, both rural and urban, where there are no dentists.

This lack of access is not just a problem for those most directly affected. All of us are paying a steep price. Just one example: in 2009, there were an estimated 830,000 visits to hospital emergency rooms for problems that could have been treated more appropriately and less expensively in a dental office. As former Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis Sullivan noted in a New York Times op-ed last year, emergency room visits for oral health problems cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars every year. The cost to Florida taxpayers alone was estimated at $88 million in a recent year.

Tragically, many of our neighbors who wind up in the E.R. every year, including children, never return home because they simply waited too long to get the care they needed. That’s because of the close connection between oral health and overall health. Infections from tooth abscesses all too frequently migrate from patients’ decayed teeth to their brains, often resulting in death.

[duffyduff]

1. Dental coverage is lousy because insurers KNOW people will use it and frequently.

The insurance is JUNK unless you just go in for a checkup, but if, God forbid, you are unemployed for any period of time and you need much more extensive dental work, too bad, so sad.

It's a scandal.

[RC]

2. Eyes, ears and mouth all have an effect on our overall health.

All should be included in "Health Care"..

[Mr.Bill]

3. Vision also.

It's difficult to function as a productive member of society and pay taxes without being able to see properly. And lack of regular care can make the problem worse, just like the rest of the body.

[Lugnut]

4. I wish I could rec this 100 times!

Traditional Medicare would be perfect if it included prescription drugs, dental, ear and eye care in the monthly premium. Medicare Advantage plans would be out of business if these benefits were included.

[TheJames]

5. K & R n/t

[Wilms]

6. ^

[KurtNYC]

7. we have a dental surgeon in our town that basically does nothing but pull teeth

$280 for a molar, $350 if you want sedation (in addition to local). With more access to care people could save their teeth. Less teeth leads to other complications like GI issues.

[OhioChick]

8. K&R

Thanks for posting, Antigop.

[Enthusiast]

9. Recent studies suggest that unchecked oral health problems

might be a major contributor to Alzheimer's Disease.

[OhioChick]

10. I don't know if any of you know Andy Hallett

"According to a 2005 interview, about a month after filming the last episode of Angel, Hallett suffered a dental infection which spread through the bloodstream to his heart, leading to a case of cardiomyopathy, for which he spent five days in the hospital.[5] Although he recovered, his heart muscle and valves were weakened and he found himself easily fatigued afterward. He did not return to acting (except for a voice part in the animated film Geppetto's Secret), but pursued his music career and frequently appeared at media conventions for Buffy and Angel and for science fiction and fantasy in general.[6]

Five years after first experiencing heart problems, and after at least three additional hospitalizations, Hallett died from congestive heart failure on March 29, 2009 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles with his father by his bedside.[7] He was 33 years old."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Hallett

[Uncle Joe]

11. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, antigop.

[antigop]

12. maybe someday we'll actually live in a civilized society, Uncle Joe. nt

[Uncle Joe]

13. The instinctive struggle between the "general welfare" and unbridled self interest

has plagued humanity long before the Preamble to our Constitution was concieved, no doubt going back to the days of living in caves.

I like to believe we're headed in the right direction to a truly enlightened, civilized society, but there are most definitely strong forces opposed to looking at and giving full consideration to the big picture.

Peace to you, anitgop.