Government Report Reveals That 45 Million Americans Lack Dental Insurance

Published: Thu 10 Jun 2010

Perry Begay

Government Report Reveals That 45 Million Americans Lack Dental Insurance

Approximately 45 million Americans do not carry dental insurance, according to a report released by the government on Wednesday, and newly passed health care reform provides little direct assistance.

In general, the majority of non-elderly persons who already carry private health insurance also have dental coverage, but an estimated 70 percent of those who must purchase their own medical coverage do not, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated in its report.

Under the healthcare law passed in March, Americans must purchase medical insurance or pay a fine beginning in 2014. The law, however, does not mandate the purchase of other forms of coverage, such as vision or dental, although certain comprehensive health insurance plans come with the additional coverage.

While health insurance policies have to cover minimum services such as prescription medications and emergency medical care, they are not required to pay for oral care for adult policyholders. They are, on the other hand, required to pay for dental care for children.

Some groups lobbied for a more significant dental component in the health care reform bill, citing the influence of oral health on conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Of the 172 million Americans under age 65 that already have private medical insurance, almost 75 percent have dental coverage as well, usually through an employer, the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC reported.

The report discovered that of those with a dental policy, one-third had a comprehensive health plan that included dental coverage, and 26 percent had a medical-care-only plan. Fourteen percent carried both.

For those with employer-sponsored plans, only 20 percent did not have dental insurance.The CDC's stats division evaluated data from a 2008 national survey of 65,495 Americans under age 65.

The Influence of Income

Predictably, researchers discovered a direct association between access to dental care and income level. The higher an individual's income, the more likely he/she was to carry dental insurance.

Approximately 90 million people in the U.S. receive health insurance through Medicaid and Medicare, which do not offer oral care for adults. However, researchers Robin Cohen and Barbara Bloom explained they could only examine the private sector "because of the limited or nonexistent public coverage for dental care."

It is unclear how health care reform will impact the dental insurance industry. Like health insurers, dental insurance companies crusaded against government-run health insurance programs while trying to increase funds for oral care under Medicaid.

Medicaid, which provides coverage to 45 million low-income Americans, offers dental coverage to those under age 21, but members may have difficulty finding dentists. Another government program, the Children's Health Insurance Program, also offers limited dental coverage.

Elderly Americans can purchase separate dental insurance policies from insurance companies.