Dental Benefit may be Added to Medicare
June 2016
The bill, HR 5396 introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott(D-WA), if passed and signed into law would allow Medicare enrollees dental, vision and hearing benefits.
Dental services may include:
- Emergency care for pain and infection relief
- Two preventive dental cleanings per year
- Some basic services such as fillings, crowns and dentures
- Some root canal and extraction services
Medicare is coverage for seniors age 65 and older, which represents the second largest population group in the country. If Medicare coverage goes into effect these patients have a choice to go to a dentist who has opted in as a Medicare provider or pay out of pocket as usual. Because most of this population is living on a fixed income, which do you suppose they would choose?
Michele Pennington
We all need to send our opinions to our representatives and encourage everyone we know to do the same! Do we know, yet, if it would be a separate benefit – each person’s choice to add for an additional premium? This is exciting news for everyone!!
Jaycee Brown
The bill HR 5396 introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott(D-WA), has not been passed as of yet. It is not known if the coverage will be included in the medical coverage or as a supplement or stand alone policy.
Tammy Friedman-Lebo
This would certainly be a step in a good direction to promote the importance of Oral healthcare for all.