Dental care should be part of the Affordable Care Act
To the editor:
There is an urgent need for dental care for adults.
I am a case manager at New Horizons of the Treasure Coast, Inc., and I work with clients who desperately need dental care. Most clients are Medicare/Medicaid recipients who have to wait for an emergency by seeking help for an impacted/infected tooth at a hospital ER. Neither Medicare nor the Affordable Care Act includes preventative dental care or adult dental coverage. Neglected dental health can turn into even bigger medical issues. Degeneration of teeth progress into the jaw bone which can lead to severe health complications. Dental preventative care and treatment could save many lives.
Currently under the Affordable Care Act it requires dental coverage for children only. As mandated by law all Florida prison inmates are provided dental care. What about our population of middle age and older citizens that could be facing some serious oral health problems over the next decade? This is devastating to see elderly citizens on a limited income, suffer from decaying teeth and not being able to do anything about it.
Most Americans wanted our health care system to change; now we must stand by the law that will make the system work better for all of us. By implementing dental preventative care and treatment services will reduce future medical issues. It will also eliminate some of the pain and suffering that some of our elderly citizens are living with.
Lisa Carmichael
Fort Pierce