American Dental Association President Daniel Klemmedson, DDS, MD, sent a letter to Congress Aug. 12 advocating for a program dedicated to providing dental coverage to low-income Medicare seniors.
The letter comes as the federal government considers adding Medicare dental coverage to the 2022 fiscal year budget, according to an Aug. 12 ADA news release.
In the letter, Dr. Klemmedson said dental benefits should be included in a separate program for those with income up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, which would cover about 47 percent of seniors.
"The ADA believes that any expansion of Medicare to include dental should be through a separate new program dedicated to providing comprehensive dental care for low income seniors — not the Medicare Part B program that has been part of past and current proposals," Dr. Klemmedson said in the letter.
The letter aligns with a policy the ADA passed in October 2020 on financing oral healthcare for older adults.