Addressing the Dental Crisis by Senator Sanders

[Chris Santee]

Below is a column by Sen. Sanders addressing the dental crisis in the United States. Additionally, the Sen. Sanders will be holding a town meeting at 10:30 on March 10 in Montpelier to discuss this issue with the public.

Addressing the Dental Crisis
By Senator Bernie Sanders
 
About 40 years ago, when I lived in the tiny town of Stannard, Vt., in the Northeast Kingdom, I saw a young man whose teeth were rotting in his mouth.  It was a sight I never forgot.  I also saw many adults in the area who had wide gaps in their mouths or no teeth at all.

It turns out that lack of access to affordable dental care was and is not just a Vermont problem. It’s also a national problem and it is too often ignored.  As chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health Care, I recently held a hearing in Washington to shine a light on this issue.  This is what we learned:     

The United States is in the midst of a major dental crisis. At a time when the cost of dental care is extremely high, 130 million Americans have no dental insurance; one-fourth of adults age 65 or older have lost all their teeth; only 45 percent of Americans age 2 and older had a dental visit in the past 12 months and more than 16 million low-income children go each year without seeing a dentist.

Lack of dental access is a national problem but those who are most impacted are people who are low income, racial or ethnic minorities, pregnant women, older adults, those with special needs, and those who live in rural communities. Simply put, the groups that need care the most are the least likely to get it.

What we also learned at the hearing is that access to dental care is about more than a pretty smile. People with dental problems can be forced to live with extreme pain which affects their quality of life, and a mouth without teeth may make it difficult to find and keep a job. Dental problems can have a significant impact on overall health and can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, digestive problems and poor birth outcomes. In some cases, dental conditions have resulted in great tragedy such as the death of 12-year-old Deamonte Driver of Maryland five years ago.

In order to address the dental crisis facing millions of Americans, the U.S. Congress must take strong action now. My office is working on a comprehensive piece of dental legislation which will address the following concerns:   

First, the United States needs more dental providers to serve those in need, and the providers need to work in areas where the need is greatest.  Currently, more dentists are retiring than are graduating dental schools.  We also need to expand the dental workforce to include allied dental providers such as dental therapists in order to extend the capacity of dental practices and reach underserved populations.

Second, not only do we need more dental providers, but there must be a national call for those in practice to start serving more low-income people. Only 20 percent of the nation’s practicing dentists provide care to people with Medicaid and only an extremely small percentage devote a substantial part of their practice to caring for those who are underserved.

Third, we need to expand Medicaid and other dental insurance coverage. One third of Americans do not have dental coverage and traditional Medicare does not cover dental services for the elderly.

Finally, we are seeing improved access through the growth of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) which now provide dental services to over 3.5 million people across the country, regardless of their ability to pay. Grant Whitmer, the Director of the Community Health Center of the Rutland region, gave very moving testimony at the hearing as to what the new dental clinic in Rutland has meant to the people in that area.  In my view, FQHC dental clinics must be expanded.  There is also great potential in bringing dental clinics right into schools. 

In Vermont, while we still have a long way to go, we are making good progress in expanding access to affordable dental care.  In the last several years we have seen the number of community health centers expand from two to eight with sites in 43 communities.  Today, more than 110,000 Vermonters get their primary health care at FQHCs, including 25,000 who get their dental care at these facilities. Beautiful new dental clinics have recently been built or expanded in Hardwick, Burlington, Rutland, Plainfield, Richford, Morrisville, Ludlow and Swanton.  Island Pond has had an FQHC dental clinic for years.  Further, we now have school-based clinics in Bennington, Burlington, Swanton and Tunbridge providing dental service to about 2,000 children.

Progress is being made, but much more needs to be done.  On Saturday, March 10 at 10:30am at Montpelier High School I will be holding a town meeting to discuss access to affordable dental care in Vermont.  I hope that everyone interested in this issue will attend.

[mirjo]

For years I have wondered why dentists didn't fall under the same rules as doctors have as far as providing care. It amazes me that some dental  procedures are so expensive for the small amount of time that it takes compared to surgery. AND many dentists work only 4 days a week/8-5 (hour lunch) and do very well. They don't have to treat anyone who doesn't have ins. or doesn't pay upfront, which is why the dental issues are so great. Dental ins isn't spectacular, but it's better than not having any at all--and the  way health ins has been going, dental ins is slightly better (I think).  If you are lucky enough to have it.

[mirjo]

I'm going to hedge a guess that this Sanders post was intended to point a finger saying, "Look at this Socialist fool--now he expects us to pay for this!"

The problem with politics in general, is that there are two sides to everything and partisan politics doesn't allow for it. Sanders is right, there is a dental crisis and everyone (myself included) who feel there needs to be a way to pay for it, are also right. The barbed rhetoric and epithets are detrimental to the well being of this country and  not necessary--nobody wins.

Point of view is determined by where you're standing for most people. Case in point: My dad, a definitive republican (and favorite sparring partner) never had much good to say about Bernie Sanders going back to his Mayoral days. Now that he's been on the receiving end of SS/Medicare for a little while, he's more appreciative of Sanders' particular style.  He hasn't switched teams, he just sees things a liitle differently than he did before. Medicare isn't a choice for seniors--even those who are working at age 65, they're booted off their health plans. And they pay for it each month! I have never understood why Medicare/seniors take such hits when they pay for it. medicare should never be on the table for cuts. I'm sure it wouldn't be if members of congress had to partake at age 65 like everyone else.

I don't know how I segued to SS/Medicare--must be because Sanders is always rallying for the elderly as well as the disenfranchised!

Just saying--there is  always two sides and both need to be considered for the best possible answer/outcome regardless of political affiliation.