As part of the Center for Medicare Advocacy’s continued commitment to improving oral health for older adults and people with disabilities, and expanding Part B to include a comprehensive oral health benefit, Center attorneys participated in the virtual 2020 OPEN Academy this week. The Oral Health Progress & Equity Network (OPEN) is a national network of individuals and organizations that believe oral health is essential to overall health and wellbeing. The program’s purpose was to increase systems change capacity and skills, ground OPEN members in the current reality of 2020, and deepen our commitment to racial justice.
The Center continues to advocate for a comprehensive oral health benefit in Part B of Medicare. The Center also advocates for expanded coverage of oral health services that are integral to medical treatments. Recent research from the DentaQuest Partnership highlights the continuing need for adult oral health benefits in Medicare. The study shows the years living with disabilities due to oral health diseases in elderly adults and how a 5% increase in government spending is sufficient to cover these conditions. Recent polling also shows strong support among voters for a Medicare oral health benefit.
The Center for Medicare Advocacy thanks the DentaQuest Partnership for its support of this work and its ongoing commitment to adding a comprehensive oral health benefit to Medicare.
- More information on the Center’s oral health work: https://medicareadvocacy.org/medicare-oral-health-care-update/
- More information on OPEN: https://medicareadvocacy.org/new-oral-health-advocacy-collaborative-begins/