Medicare Doesn't Cover Dentistry, but It Should

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John Green -- Executive Producer
Stan Muller -- Director, Producer
Aaron Carroll -- Writer
Mark Olsen – Graphics
Meredith Danko – Social Media

And the housekeeping:

[aderek]

I think US politicians should only be able to get the worst insurance available through a government program in their state.

[queenlucysroyalmaid]

This is interesting, as the NHS doesn't cover dental care either. I wonder why dental health isn't perceived as important enough in numerous systems?

[Naydeen]

Chew on this (pun intended - have to keep my sense of humor) I am disabled and through that I get Medicare. Just to point out there is a small percentage of younger folks who have Medicare through SSDI. 11yrs ago I lost all my teeth due to medications that Medicare approved to treat my disability. I was 36 yrs old. I reached out to Medicare and was told unless I had cancer in my mouth or end stage renal failure they don't cover dentures. I was unable to get Medicaid because my SSDI income knocked me out of eligibility. I guess the less than 10k a year made me a Rockefeller rich in their eyes. Fast forwarding last year I finally get Medicaid. Thinking I could get dentures I was happy. Nope. Being I been with out teeth so long there has been structural changes to my jaw and significant bone loss so you can't just toss a denture in my mouth. There is pretty extensive corrective work that needs to be done so I can get dentures which includes breaking my jaw to realign it then bone grafting then the dentures. Medicaid says that is facial reconstruction (cosmetic) and is giving me a hard time. It's not cosmetic this is what NEGLECT leads to. I continue today at the age of 47 to fight to get dentures. It really frustrating and beyond me why dental was never in medicare.

[somenerdyblonde]

I was waiting at the dental check out line behind an elderly gentleman last week; his bill was $324 while mine was $0 (thanks to my yearly $20 insurance premium). While I don't know the reason for his visit, we were both there around 45 minutes. Why would the US not cover the population most likely to need dental work?

[ruk]

dentistry is so freaking expensive in europe as well, a lot of countries' systems cover only very basic procedures and most dentist offices are private owned :(

[miriam]

Agree. Germany has a very strict We are encouraged to go to the dentist every six months + whenever something is wrong. Cavity fixes, root canal treatments, extraction of not-saveable teeth and wisdom teeth, X-rays every three years. For anything that hurts, you can get local anesthesia. All is paid for by the most standard insurance. They do take the risk of long-ignored tooth infections very seriously.
I recently went to the dentist (after years of avoiding it), got 14 cavities fixed, dental calculus removed and my wisdom teeth extracted. The only thing I paid is 10€ for antibiotics + pain medication.
I can finally enjoy icecream.

[queuebit]

Why isn't dental care in these cases treated like "preventative care" since making investments to prevent more chronic / expensive health issues down the line seems to save money?

[XiaosChannel]

0:18 do you mean the reverse? like, "dental care in Medicaid"?

[carrie_lol]

I don't think this channel discussed anything related to dental health either, other than fluoride in water. My persisting questions are does flossing help? How frequent should I visit a dentist?

[SlugcatEmporium]

In this video, does "medicare beneficiary/enrollee" refer solely to those over 65, or does it include younger beneficiaries who qualify through disability? 0:32 specified this specific age group, so I'm unsure if it was carried over for the rest of the statistics.

The lack of dental in these programs is baffling.

[OrganicGreens]

problem is insurance companies and medical facilities work together to make prices ridiculous so the states cant afford it...

[StupidButCunning]

I know I haven't seen a dentist in years because of the cost, and my teeth are certainly suffering for it.

[secretaltruism]

Even Australia doesn't cover dentistry with it's Medicare (which every Australian is eligible for). You need private health insurance.

[connormxy]

Note that the thumbnail still said Medicaid!

[velikiradojica]

I see no reason for repairs with gray fillings and tooth removal to be covered. Aesthetic procedures can still be uninsured.

[tylerbradshaw]

I think the whole dentistry industry has evolved into something that resembles a scam. I suspect a deep investigation would reveal an industry driven by profit with little regard to evidence-based medicine. Why do dentists make so much money (about as much as a primary care physician)? Why do we think 6-month checkup/cleaning is a standard (what other part of your health do you have a specialist check biannually, whether or not you have symptoms)? Do they even validate best practices (floss might not even be effective!). Perhaps having CMS more involved might help regulate the industry, but probably not.

[vickymc]

Ok why do Americans make fun of British teeth?
All kid under 16, people over 65, pregnant women, unemployed and disabled/ sick people on benefits get free dentinal care. All others people are capped around £70/$96.00 max per trip (usually alot lower). All people have to go see a dentist for checkups ever 6/12 months.
We have much better teeth than you guys.