Editorial
Each
year about two out of three children
enrolled in the state's HUSKY healthcare plan
receive no dental care. A primary reason is
that their families cannot find a dentist
that will accept Medicaid patients.
The
problem is the low Medicaid
reimbursements that Connecticut offers
dentists. The reimbursements are so low that
dentists lose money when providing care to
these children. As a result, only about 100
of the state's 2,500 dentists treat kids on
HUSKY.
The
fees have not been changed in 14 years,
and were low back then. A dentist can get $38
for a filling, compared to the normal charge
of about $160. HUSKY will pay $24 for a
cleaning, when dentists normally charge about
$85.
Non-profit
clinics try to fill the gap, but
do not have the resources to meet the needs.
The better solution is to increase Medicaid
payments for dental care so that many more
dentists will be willing to participate.
Connecticut
is a wealthy state. There is no
reason children should be left to develop the
kind of serious dental problems normally
associated with the lack of care found in
impoverished nations. Clinic operators and
emergency room physicians report treating
children in great pain, with multiple rotting
teeth and infections.
Tooth
decay is the most common childhood
disease in the nation, five times more
commonplace than asthma. Poor children are
twice as likely to have cavities, but far
less likely to get treatment.
In
addition to the moral reasons to make sure
poor children can get dental care, it also
makes economic sense. Low-income children who
have a first preventive dental visit by age 1
are less likely to have subsequent
restorative care or emergency room visits,
according to a 2004 pediatric study.
Waiting
to get treatment only when dental
pain gets unbearable is not only cruel - it's
expensive, too. A 2002 study of Medicaid
reimbursements, published in the professional
publication "Ambulatory Pediatrics," revealed
that it was 10 times more costly to treat
dental emergencies in a hospital, about
$6,498 on average, than to provide three
years of preventive treatment in a dental
office, $660.
The
state budget approved by the
Appropriations Committee includes funding to
increase Medicaid reimbursements to about 70
percent of the level that dentists normally
charge for various dental procedures.
The
Connecticut Oral Health Initiative, which
advocates for oral health care for all
despite of income levels, says that many more
dentists would take part at such a
reimbursement level.
The
estimated cost would be $20 million
annually. That amount should be more than
offset by reduced emergency care costs. The
proposal should be included in the 2008
budget and signed into law by Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
That
result would generate a lot of smiles.
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About Connecticut Oral Health Initiative
The Connecticut Oral Health Initiative, or
COHI for
short, is a state-wide collaborative of dental
professionals, business and community
leaders. Our
Mission is Oral Health Care for All. We work to
persuade, educate and inform decision makers
and the
general public about the important issues
involving
oral health. We started in 1992 as a project
of the
Connecticut State Dental Association and
incorporated as a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit
corporation in 2003. We are supported by your
tax-deductible contribution and grants from
progressive foundations and businesses.
| Connecticut Oral Health Initiative
Marty Milkovic
Executive Director
phone: 860-246-COHI (2644)
|
|
