Thursday October 11, I was scanning the day's NY Times and was caught by the article, Boom Times for U.S. Dentists, But Not for Americans' Teeth. Lately the focus of American's have been solely on health care. According to this front page article maybe some of th focus needs to be directed to millions of American's who do not have dental insurance.
Majority of dentists require payment up-front for people who do not have private insurance to pay for services. Very few dentists except Medicaid or other state funded insurance therefore creating long waits for services needed, emergency or preventive, to middle to low income families. For example, the only dentist in Hays, Ks that excepts the state's Healthwave insurance is Miner Dentistry. Kudos and 2 thumbs up to them!!
American dentist seem to have it all. Charge what you want, get paid up-front and cater to the privileged. No worries about how or when they get paid.
Dentists are important individuals who preform necessary services. According to Dr. Oz and the Oprah show, 75% of Americans over the age of 35 suffer from some kind of gum disease. That is an alarming statistic given that many people lack dental insurance. According to research many children and adults die each year from complications of tooth decay.
Ok so why don't more dentists accept state insurance? And why is state funding being cut to not include dentistry services. The graphs posts in the NY Times article are alarming at the amount of America's who are without dental insurance. Many pediatricians are learning to apply fluoride varnish on baby teeth to help prevent cavities because, "The dentists don't want to see these kids," Dr. Deinard, pediatrician and associate professor at the University of Minnesota says.
The American Dental Association has turned down proposals of dental therapist who could care for these "unwanted" patients. More than 50 countries are using this type of system. Dr. Roth views them as "less qualified practitioners." My thoughts... so what if they're not a full blown dentist. It's like going to see a nurse practitioner instead of the doctor. The ADA needs to get over themselves and focus on the "practice of dentistry" and the people they are helping and less on the $$$.
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2 comments:
Yes that could be a problem. I think we need more education in this area. It would be nice to have a system where people could just get a free dental exam once or twice a year or even a few years....
This is absolutely true. In many cases, people with insurance aren't even going to the dentist. It does seem strange that many do not accept state insurance, and this may be because of the delay in payment. That's not a good excuse but it is plausible.
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