Nearly All Older Americans Support Including Dental Coverage in Medicare

The National Poll on Healthy Aging found almost all older Americans support adding a dental benefit to Medicare, reports News-Medical . According to the survey, 93 percent of people between the ages of 65 and 80 favor including dental coverage in traditional Medicare, although this figure slipped to 59 percent when asked if they would support such coverage even if they had to pay more for their Medicare benefits. Fifty-three percent noted that they currently have dental coverage, with 50 percent of this segment covered as employees or retirees, or spouses of employees. Another 25 percent said they have dental coverage because they have opted to receive Medicare coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan offered by a commercial insurance company. One in five respondents said they had delayed getting dental care — or gone without — in the past two years due to cost or insurance problems. "These results suggest that healthcare providers and policymakers should seek solutions to better identify and address how cost and other factors act as barriers to dental care among older adults," said University of Michigan School of Dentistry Professor Domenica Sweier.