The Washington Legislature’s decision two years ago to eliminate non-emergency dental benefits for nearly 450,000 adults helped balance the budget. But it was a costly decision because the uninsured often turn to already overburdened emergency rooms, creating costs that are passed on to taxpayers and other healthcare consumers.
If state lawmakers restore the dental benefits in next year’s legislative session, it would shift the state’s focus from expensive treatment to more cost-effective preventive care and improve hundreds of thousands of lives. Community health centers and other dental clinics could provide the routine, preventive care necessary to help patients avoid the severe problems that lead them to costly emergency rooms.
Read the full press release (PDF) for more details about how Washington’s emergency room physicians are coping with the problem and what they say about how the state could save money by paying for Medicaid dental benefits for low-income adults.
Oral Health Watch
17 hours ago
Providing oral health care access for lower-income workers can make a profound difference in health and quality of life. Bad breath, tooth loss, and visible decay can significantly impact employment opportunities for working adults with:
✅decreased confidence
✅increased absenteeism
... ✅lower productivity
✅potential negative perceptions by employers, colleagues and customers. #teethmatter
Oral Health Watch
20 hours ago
Providing oral health care access for lower-income workers can make a profound difference in health and quality of life. Bad breath, tooth loss, and visible decay can significantly impact employment opportunities for working adults with:
✅decreased confidence
✅increased absenteeism
... ✅lower productivity
✅potential negative perceptions by employers, colleagues and customers. #teethmatter
Oral Health Watch
2 days ago
Access to preventive and restorative oral health care is highly effective and saves money, sparing people from needless pain and expensive hospital emergency department visits that don't have the equipment or trained staff to address the root causes of oral disease. #teethmatter
Oral Health Watch
2 days ago
Access to preventive and restorative oral health care is highly effective and saves money, sparing people from needless pain and expensive hospital emergency department visits that don't have the equipment or trained staff to address the root causes of oral disease. #teethmatter
Oral Health Watch
3 days ago
An overwhelming majority of public health organizations, including the Cleveland Clinic, support community water fluoridation as a cost-effective, equitable and beneficial way to improve oral health. #teethmatter
Oral Health Watch
3 days ago
An overwhelming majority of public health organizations, including the @clevelandclinic, support community water fluoridation as a cost-effective, equitable and beneficial way to improve oral health. #teethmatter