There’s a big gap in coverage for dental care. It’s not considered part of core health care benefits and so many people – even those with commercial health insurance or Medicaid – lack coverage. The Affordable Care Act addresses only a small part of the gap. That’s a problem because dental health is a key component of overall health care and not something that should be optional.
There’s a big gap in coverage for dental care. It’s not considered part of core health care benefits and so many people – even those with commercial health insurance or Medicaid – lack coverage. The Affordable Care Act addresses only a small part of the gap. That’s a problem because dental health is a key component of overall health care and not something that should be optional.
That’s why I like the looks of an innovative program in Calhoun County, Michigan where uninsured patients can earn credit for dental visits by doing volunteer work such as working in a food bank. Dentists generally volunteer their time and I can understand why:
Kip Etheridge, a dentist who sees patients from the program in his office a few hours a month, said the volunteer work makes [patients] more vested in their care and reduces the number of people who don’t show up for the program’s dental appointments.
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“It’s not free care, they work for it and that aspect is what has encouraged dentists to participate,” Etheridge said.
The program rewards volunteers with $100 in dental care per four hours of work. Patients must also go to an oral health class and see a hygienist (paid for by local fundraising) first. Visits to the local emergency room for dental problems have dropped dramatically since the program went into effect.
This is a very nice example of what can be achieved at the local level when people of goodwill collaborate in a pragmatic, creative and non-ideological way. Already the program is being expanded to include chiropractic care and orthodontics.
(coverage gap for dental care / shutterstock)
