Healthcare reform, and dentistry

Dentistry is part of the healthcare reform package. Some parts of the package including children's coverage are to be implemented right away. It is not real clear how this part of the package will proceed, but the idea is to allow all children access to healthcare.

There are dental insurance plans and state run plans already.

Dental healthcare plans for children have been around for many years. Many health insurance plans offer dental insurance as an add on product. Dental insurance plans , unlike medical insurance is readily available to anyone desiring to purchase it on their own. They are fairly reasonable cost.The State provides care through Medicaid and SCHIP. Illinois has a program called AllKids to provide help for low income families. . With states having budget shortfalls, some of these programs may not be funded any longer.

Historically the state sponsored dental plans in place have had only fair utilization.

Statistics show that children in families at the lower end of the income spectrum do not get regular dental care. The main reason is lack of participating dentists. There are enough dentists statewide , though he distribution is somewhat uneven. Dentists tend to set up offices where they prefer to live and feel they can make a decent living.

Only about 10 % of dentists take Medicaid/SCHIP/AllKids due to two main factors. The first is the reimbursement is about half the average fee a dentist charges, which will not cover the cost of delivering the care. The second reason is the involved paperwork needed to get reimbursed, and the expended length of time to process.

Healthcare reform going forward

Ultimately the government wants to encourage dentists and other healthcare workers to enter programs and clinics that will more evenly distribute care to underserved areas. They plan on doing this through subsidies and underwriting education costs for these individuals. This may be successful, though it is unclear how many healthcare providers will participate.

My thoughts

Healthcare costs are high and rising fast. Our current system is a sickness based system and unless we can reorient to a prevention and wellness system, things will only worsen. The government has some good ideas about taxing things that lead to illness. I think employers who have wellness incentives should also get a break from the government. I am not sure if the new plan will be sustainable. Time will tell.

I welcome your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Phillip C. Neal DDS