State dentists lobby is blocking low-cost care
Fecteau had dental insurance through
Fecteau's story illustrates a common complaint by health-care advocates here: Dental insurance doesn't mean access to care. Part of the problem:
As a result, the state's poor, particularly
But a coalition of state public-health officials and others believe they have a solution: dental therapists.
These therapists, found in states such as
But some dentists and their powerful trade group, the
Rather than create more dental caregivers, Killpack said, the state should address this public-health need by raising rates for
Meanwhile, advocates are frustrated that deep-pocketed dentists are blocking an evidence-based way to improve America's oral health.
"We're hampered by the disproportionate power that the (WSDA) has in the
Tired of waiting, the members of the
He isn't counting on smooth sailing. "We expect to get sued by the
The problem
Experts agree that poor oral health can lead to far costlier diseases -- including diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis.
In 2000, the
In
Community health clinics and a state
"There is a hidden opportunity for improving overall health by treating the infection in the mouth," said
But the state's low reimbursement rate for dental care (only four states have lower rates) has resulted in only three in 10 dentists here accepting
That leaves
Dr.
"It is not the dentists' fault that nobody on
The evidence
In
In fact, the dental therapist starting Monday for the
In
With their shorter training, therapists in these two states typically work under the supervision of a licensed dentist. In
"Dentists are profit-driven," Cooper said. Their concern is "drip theory. You put [therapists] in the rural areas. You put them on the reservation. Then pretty soon, they'll come to the outskirts of suburbs."
Killpack denied blocking therapists because they threaten his members' business model.
The politics
Not all dentists oppose creating midlevel dental professionals.
In
The group points to one man as being the most influenced by the dentists lobby:
Gould and tribal leaders say
"That's just not something you want to say to politicians," said
In 2012 and 2014 election cycles, of
He said he opposed the dental-therapist legislation because "the proposals were to do invasive stuff without much schooling."
As for constituents who may lack access to dental care, "there are
Fights in several states
Some tribal leaders say their dental-care crisis got more complicated when the Indian Healthcare Improvement Act was reauthorized in 2009. It contained a provision, lobbied for by the
In the last two legislative sessions,
Similar bills in
In the past five years, the WSDA has spent
Gould said lobbying by the pro-therapist coalition has been minuscule in comparison.
"The frustration that I have is the
Native solution
For nearly three years, dentist
Hogan, 40, has performed hundreds of fillings, extractions and cleanings. "I'm swamped," she said.
She believes the Swinomish plan to deploy dental therapists will help her meet the crushing needs of her patients.
The needs of Native American children are acute; 3- to 5-year-olds are four times more likely than white children of the same age to have untreated, decayed teeth, according to a 2014
In addition to the new dental therapist from
The Swinomish are "looking for a local solution and if it works for them, it's good," she said.
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