Few older Americans have dental insurance
By a
Insurance status appeared to be the biggest predictor of whether a person received oral health care: For those with incomes just over the federal poverty level, 27 percent of those without dental insurance had a dental visit in the previous year, compared to 65 percent with dental insurance, according to an analysis of 2012
Income also played a role: High-income beneficiaries were almost three times as likely to have received dental care in the previous 12 months as compared to low-income beneficiaries, 74 percent of whom reported receiving no dental care. Many high-income beneficiaries - even those with dental insurance - paid a sizable portion of their bills out of pocket.
The findings, published in the December issue of the journal Health Affairs, suggest an enormous unmet need for dental insurance among those 65 and older in
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Eighty percent of Americans under the age of 65 are covered by employer-sponsored programs that offer dental insurance, which covers routine cleanings and cost-sharing on fillings and other dental work. Many of them lose that coverage when they retire or go on
For the new study, the researchers analyzed data provided by 11,299 respondents to the 2012 Cost and Use Files of the
Among the findings: On average,
Poor dental hygiene not only contributes to gum disease, but the same bacteria linked to gum disease has also been linked to pneumonia, a serious illness that increases the risk of hospitalization and death. It can also contribute to difficulty eating, swallowing or speaking, all of which bring their own health challenges. Nearly one in five
The researchers took the research a step further. They analyzed two separate proposals for adding dental benefits to
The first proposal, which would cost an average premium of
"It's hard to tell in this current political climate whether this is something that will be addressed by lawmakers, but regardless this is affecting the lives of many older adults," Willink says.
She cautions that if the costs become too high for
"Older adults are struggling and the current benefits structure of
"Dental Care and Medicare Beneficiaries: Access Gaps, Cost Burdens and Policy Options" was written by
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