Medicare Should Include Dental Benefits

Oral Health America: Medicare Should Include Dental Benefits

On Thursday, Oral Health America (OHA) released a state-by-state report of the oral health of the country's 65 and older population and the success or failure of states to address those needs. The 2016 State of Decay is the 3rd in a series of reports from OHA surveying the state of oral health for older Americans. The report shows that 59 percent of lower income older adults have no dental insurance and that older adults with dental insurance are 2.5 times more likely to visit the dentist on a regular basis. Sadly, 58 percent of lower income older adults have no plan in place to pay for dental care once retired.

The Alliance and OHA both advocate for financially viable Medicare Dental Benefits.

“Fifty-two percent of all older adults are either unsure or don’t know Medicare does not include dental coverage,” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “We need to increase awareness so that we can expand Medicare to address this.”

Source: Alliance for Retired Americans Friday Alert, May 20 2016 issue