Some key points in the op-ed are:

• Dental problems that remain untreated can progress from minor problems to major, expensive issues. 
• Dental disease is linked to many serious and costly health issues, including diabetes and heart disease.
• If dental coverage is limited, people will have few options other than getting their teeth pulled. Some will be driven to the ER because of infections and pain – an expense that does nothing to address the underlying dental problem. 
• Today, dental problems are one of the top reasons that Medicaid patients and the uninsured go to the ER.

The op-ed generated considerable interest and the Times published three letters to the editor in response.  Add your voice to chorus by contacting your legislators today to advocate for full restoration of the Medicaid adult dental program.  Help our state save money and improve health!

Dental care can save money in the long run

Letter to the editor, Seattle Times, May 9

Lack of dental coverage creates problems for families

Letter to the editor, Seattle Times, May 10

Treat dental problems early by providing basic care

Letter to the editor, Seattle Times, May 11

Early dental care, such as fixing cavities, can prevent minor problems from turning into major health issues that are more expensive to treat. Without this crucial early care, people with dental pain will have few options other than getting their teeth pulled. They will still turn to ERs for pain relief, driving up healthcare costs for everyone.

Legislators need to restore dental coverage for low-income adults with a general fund allocation of $23.9 million in the 2013-15 budget. Urge legislators to approve the House level of funding.

It’s hard for people to get jobs if they are in pain or have bad teeth. Dental care for low-income adults improves health and reduces healthcare costs.

It is a good investment and the right thing to do.

The support

Recent columns in newspapers across the state specify numerous reasons why funding dental care is a smart investment for the state.  Preventing dental disease saves money, improves health and keeps people away from expensive ER and hospital care. It is difficult for people to get a job if they are in pain or have obvious dental problems.

Read the columns and then send a message to legislators.

Restoring dental care is a wise decision and the right thing to do.

–

Editorial in the Everett Herald, Mar. 28

“Giving teeth to Medicaid”

Op-ed in the Yakima Herald Republic, Mar. 31

“Dental care funds benefit state patients and taxpayers”

Op-ed in the Vancouver Columbian, Mar. 31

“State can restore dental care for low-income”

Op-ed in the Bellingham Herald, April 1

“Restoring state adult dental care would save money, improve care”

More than 450,000 low-income adults in Washington no longer have dental coverage because of budget cuts made in 2011. These people need your help.

Watch the video, then use the easy form to send a message to legislators urging them to restore dental coverage for low-income adults.

Dental care improves health, saves money — and makes a positive difference in people’s lives. As Mike says, “providing dental care to low-income people is the right thing to do. It’ll change their life.”

Now is the time to send a message to legislators:  Click here for a simple tool to find your legislators and urge them to restore dental coverage for low-income adults.

More than 450,000 Medicaid-eligible adults lost dental coverage due to state budget cuts in 2011.  It is time to reverse that “forced error.”

Too often the seriousness of dental problems is overlooked, as if the mouth is somehow disconnected from the body.  But oral health is essential to overall health.

Dental care is also an economic issue because low-income adults can’t get jobs if they are in pain or have obvious dental decay.  In addition, people suffering from the extreme pain of a toothache will seek expensive ER care, if they can’t get care in a dental chair.  This drives up healthcare costs for taxpayers.

Email your legislators today and tell them providing dental care for low-income adult is the right thing to do.

As the legislative

“This country has historically maintained an exaggerated distinction between dental and medical care, as if teeth and jaws somehow didn’t connect to the rest of the body. It’s all health care, though, and the Legislature should grab this opportunity to offer dentistry to Washingtonians with little money.”

Read the full editorial here.

Focus on the necessity

In the story, caregivers, patients and others discuss the increased costs and health consequences that result from dental problems that aren’t treated early and become much more severe.

As the director of critical care and emergency services for Bellingham’s St. Joseph Hospital said: “We can expect to see an increase in dental emergencies as people delay preventive care due to lack of insurance.”

Read the full article.

KING 5 in Seattle

This year, through Medicaid expansion the state has a unique opportunity to leverage state funds and provide dental care to more than 700,000 low-income people for an investment of approximately $14 million a year. Using a portion of the savings from Medicaid expansion, the Legislature should restore dental coverage for low-income adults. 

If current Medicaid enrollees have coverage, the federal government will pay the full cost of dental care for all new Medicaid enrollees under the expansion. The Legislature should act this session to leverage state funding and provide dental care to people who need it. It is an investment that makes sense.

A recent report

The Seattle Times article notes that helping Medicaid patients avoid dental emergencies is another key goal of the coalition of medical providers and state officials looking to save money by reducing ER use.

According to KUOW’s coverage, dental emergencies are a large part of the problem. “Without preventive care, many (patients) end up in the ER with a dental emergency that the ER is not equipped to handle.”

One way to avoid patients coming into emergency rooms with dental pain is for the Legislature to restore dental coverage for low-income adults this session. Preventing dental disease saves money, improves health and keeps people out of the ER.

Awareness is growing across

The decision by state lawmakers in 2011 to eliminate dental coverage for most low-income adults left 450,000 people without dental insurance. Many of those uninsured patients seek care in already overburdened emergency rooms, creating costs that are passed on to taxpayers and other healthcare consumers.

Doctors and nurses around the state say they see patients come into emergency rooms every day with serious dental pain. But hospitals are not designed to treat dental problems. These medical professionals can only treat the pain, not fix the patients’ underlying oral health problems.

Untreated dental disease is a serious health concern because oral health affects overall health, especially for people with diabetes. In addition, it is hard to find a job and become self-sufficient if you’re missing teeth or are in constant dental pain. Dental disease is preventable, but people need access to dental care.

In recent weeks, state newspapers and other news sites across the state have written about the growing problem of uninsured dental patients, overcrowded emergency rooms and the need for state to restore Medicaid dental coverage.

Jerry Large column, Seattle Times, Dec. 12

“Legislature: Put future benefits ahead of temporary savings”

Dr. Bicuspid, Dec. 17

“Delta Dental foundation decries Wash. Medicaid cuts”

Op-ed from Dr. Marcia Wheaton, Everett Herald, Dec. 22

“Dental care is unmet need for too many”

Skagit Valley Herald, Dec. 23

“A dearth of dental care”

Yakima Herald-Republic, Jan. 2

“Declining state dental benefits create issues of access, cost”

The Spokane Spokesman-Review, Jan. 3

“Dental clinic offers affordable relief for Medicaid users, uninsured”

Dr. Bicuspid, Jan. 7

“Seattle clinic provides dental care to uninsured”