Investigators at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Discuss Findings in Dentistry (Dental Care And Medicare Beneficiaries:…

Investigators at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Discuss Findings in Dentistry (Dental Care And Medicare Beneficiaries: Access Gaps, Cost Burdens, And Policy Options)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- New research on Dentistry is the subject of a report. According to news reporting out of Baltimore, Maryland, by VerticalNews editors, research stated, "Despite the wealth of evidence that oral health is related to physical health, Medicare explicitly excludes dental care from coverage, leaving beneficiaries at risk for tooth decay and periodontal disease and exposed to high out-of-pocket spending. To profile these risks, we examined access to dental care across income groups and types of insurance coverage in 2012."

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, "High-income beneficiaries were almost three times as likely to have received dental care in the previous twelve months, compared to low-income beneficiaries-74 percent of whom received no dental care. We also describe two illustrative policies that would expand access, in part by providing income-related subsidies. One would offer a voluntary, premium-financed benefit similar to those offered by Part D prescription drug plans, with an estimated premium of $29 per month. The other would cover basic dental care in core Medicare Part B benefits, financed in part by premiums ($7 or $15 per month, depending on whether premiums covered 25 percent or 50 percent of the cost) and in part by general revenues. The fact that beneficiaries are forgoing dental care and are exposed to significant costs if they seek care underscores the need for action."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "The policies offer pathways for improving health and financial independence for older adults."

For more information on this research see: Dental Care And Medicare Beneficiaries: Access Gaps, Cost Burdens, And Policy Options. Health Affairs, 2016;35(12):2241-2248. Health Affairs can be contacted at: Project Hope, 7500 Old Georgetown Rd, Ste 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting A. Willink, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Sch Public Hlth, Dept. of Hlth Policy & Management, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States. Additional authors for this research include C. Schoen and K. Davis.

Keywords for this news article include: Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America, Health Policy, Medicare, Dentistry, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world. Copyright 2017, NewsRx LLC