Medicaid – Oral Health Watch

New National Resources on Oral Health Access

Recent stories in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have added to the growing national attention on the lack of oral health care in the U.S. This summer The Kaiser Family Foundation released several policy briefs about oral health in the U.S. and the problems associated with a lack of dental care. …

Final state budget preserves dental care for vulnerable populations

After a marathon of negotiations a supplemental budget was approved by the state legislature on Wednesday.  The good news is that the budget protects dental coverage for low-income pregnant women, seniors in nursing homes and people with developmental disabilities. This decision by the legislature to support funding for dental coverage reflects in part an increased…

When Dental Care is Not Available, Costly Emergency Room Care is Only Option

A new report by the Pew Center on the States estimates that preventable dental conditions were the primary diagnosis in 830,590 visits to emergency rooms nationwide in 2009. In most cases, care delivered in the ER will not provide lasting relief. Instead, patients need dental care to effectively treat toothaches and dental abscesses. Without access to…

Help protect dental coverage for vulnerable adults

The Governor’s proposed supplemental budget eliminates all non-emergency dental care for eligible Medicaid-insured adults ($8.6 million).  Pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid would lose dental coverage.  Poor oral health can lead to complications with pregnancy.  In addition, mothers can pass the bacteria that cause dental disease to their babies. Nearly half of all births in Washington…

Pregnant Women Could Lose Critical Dental Care

Washington legislators could take Medicaid dental benefits away from more than 30,000 low-income pregnant women later this month as part of a plan to balance the state budget, a decision that could lead to even higher dental costs in the future and poorer health for mothers and their children. The state Legislature will consider a…

Focus on Seniors’ Oral Health

Each fall, policymakers and advocates come together for the Washington State Senior Lobby conference, this year held on October 21.  As a member of the Senior Lobby, WDS Foundation is a sponsor of the conference and will host a booth providing resources and information to highlight the importance of good oral health for seniors. Seniors…

Ad campaign underway to promote kids’ oral health

“…Even during tough times, it makes sense to prevent dental disease and keep all kids healthy.”   That’s the message that is being delivered in radio ads sponsored by Arcora Foundation now airing across the state. The statewide advertising campaign is designed to raise awareness of kids’ oral health and urge continued support for programs to…

National report highlights access to oral health care as a critical problem

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) just released a report concluding that too many Americans lack access to oral health care, which can have serious consequences for overall health.  To address the problem, the IOM recommends that oral health be integrated into overall health care and that advocacy be used to help shape policies that will…

2010 Smile Survey

We’re pleased to share some good news from the recently-released 2010 Smile Survey, the latest statewide assessment of children’s oral health in Washington. It shows that children’s oral health in Washington is improving, but further work remains. Key results include: Fewer low-income preschoolers are suffering from tooth decay (cavities) Fewer children have untreated tooth decay, an…

Arcora Foundation
400 Fairview Avenue North, Suite 800
Seattle, WA 98109
206-528-2379
info@arcorafoundation.org
Oral Health Watch does not provide dental care and cannot provide direct referrals. To find dental care in your area, please visit our resources page. Please contact Oral Health Watch for more information about our programs and oral health in Washington State