Pediatric Dental Care Not Addressed Under ACA
Impact of Dental Decay on Children’s Health
According to a survey by the American Dental Association, dental decay is the most common pediatric dental care issue in the United States. Previously it was thought that asthma is the most common health problem found in children in the United States but the current report has shattered this belief. It must be understood that children have a very different attitude when it comes to dealing with health problems. While an adult might set aside his health issues and focus on his work, it is almost impossible for a child to do so. Considering the fact that a large number of children suffer from dental decay, it can very well hinder their learning abilities in the school.
Advocacy Efforts for Pediatric Dental Care
The American dental association made great efforts to persuade the law makers to include the provision for dental care in the Affordable Care Act but still in the end it was left up to the states. As a result millions of children and young people up to the age of 19 years will not have dental coverage in the upcoming years.
Importance of Pediatric Dental Care
According to the president of the American dental association, it was an absolute necessity to include pediatric dental care in the10 essential points of the Affordable Care Act. If we look at the current market trends then we find that almost 99 percent of the dental insurance programs are sold separately from the regular medical insurance programs. Hence it means that it has been left up to the parents if they want to buy dental insurance for their kids or not and more importantly if they can afford to buy it or not.
Community-Based Dental Campaigns
It seems as the policy makers have failed to understand that dental care spending can be substantially decreased if pediatric dental care is included in the ten essential points of the Affordable Care Act.
Most of the dental problems can be prevented if a child gets regular dental care from a professional dentist. Had the dental care been included under the ACA, it would have made a huge impact in a positive way.
Parental Responsibility for Dental Care
But since there is no mention of dental care in the ten essential points, the American dental association has taken it upon itself to work towards improving pediatric dental health in the United States. The president of the American dental association said that through community based dental campaigns; ADA has improved the dental health of more than half a million children across the country. A very popular example of community based dental campaign is “Give your kids a smile”. It is a volunteer event organized by the American dental association that provides free pediatric dental services.
Since the government has not addressed the issue of pediatric dental care, it is now up to the parents to make sure that their wards get the proper dental care that they need.
Many organizations throughout the country are campaigning and appealing to the government to include pediatric dental care in the 10 essential points under the Affordable Care Act.
About the Author: Brianna Wilson
Brianna Wilson works for Healthcare Solutions Team. She is licensed with over 40 major health care insurance companies and helps people to find affordable family dental insurance plans online.