Oral health is essential to overall health. When people can’t access or afford dental care, it leads to preventable pain, worsening health conditions and burdensome medical debt. Affordable access to dental care can lead to needed care and improved outcomes for chronic and acute conditions, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, mental health, and pregnancy, as well as support substance use disorder recovery. Good oral health also has major implications for economic well-being by reducing missed school and workdays and increasing employment prospects.
Despite these critical connections, comprehensive dental coverage for adults is frequently excluded from health insurance frameworks in the United States. For millions of people in the U.S., this coverage gap has led to increased medical debt, especially for services received at dental offices, as well as the rise of predatory deferred interest credit cards being promoted and marketed in dental offices.
For far too long, oral health has been left out of our nation’s attention to health and has been considered separately from the rest of the health care system.
The current patchwork of limited and inconsistent dental coverage is compounded by significant oral health workforce shortages that disproportionately impact rural, Tribal, and communities with low-incomes the most.
Current coverage gaps include:
An estimated 15% of people with employer-sponsored insurance have dental coverage included.
Routine adult dental services are not part of the Essential Health Benefits that most private plans must cover.
In Medicaid, adult dental benefits remain optional for states, leading to significant differences in covered services.
While Medicare has started covering some medically-necessary dental care, about half of beneficiaries lack any dental coverage.
83% of voters support including dental care as an Essential Health Benefit
Photo credit: Children’s Alliance (Washington)
The Path Forward: Comprehensive Dental Reform
To achieve oral health equity, Community Catalyst and over 100 local, state and national partners are demanding Congress uplift the following crucial policies:
Make Adult Dental Care a Mandatory Medicaid Benefit
Mandate adult dental benefits in Medicaid would improve access for millions and reduce racial disparities.
Community Catalyst Leads 100+ Organizations Pushing Congress to Prioritize Oral Health Equity
On June 18, 2024, Community Catalyst delivered a letter signed by over 100 national, state and local organizations representing a broad range of interests – from community-based organizations, oral health advocates, provider groups and the dental industry – urging Congress to standardize adult dental benefits. This action would address the growing burden of dental debt amongst U.S. households and expand the oral health workforce to address oral health inequities.
Lack of access to care and inequities in outcomes are the results of policy choices, not personal responsibility. To effectively move forward with any new policies or models of care, it is critical to understand what people currently experience and what they want out of their care. To prioritize meaningful community engagement, Community Catalyst held a series of “community listening sessions” in three states.
Dental disease hurts more than our teeth – it’s tied to our overall health. And policy barriers keep many people from getting the care and support they need to have good oral health. But with policy change, we can achieve good oral health for everyone.
When the CareQuest Institute funded grassroots organizations to engage community members on oral health needs, outcomes, and disparities, the message was clear: oral health is health and systems change is needed to ensure oral health equity. Learn more about the impact of access barriers to oral health with the experiences of underserved communities leading the conversation.
