Strong Support for Adding Oral Health to Medicare

 

Justice in Aging is excited to share recent polling that finds strong support among older adults for adding dental coverage to Medicare. Morning Consult conducted the poll, which sampled 1,000 older adults across the country between December 9 and December 11, 2019, and found nearly 90% expressing support for adding dental coverage to traditional Medicare.  Takeaways from the poll:  More than 9 in 10 (92%) older adults reported they were aware that Medicare does not include coverage for dental.   Approximately half (45%) of respondents reported they did not have any form of dental insurance; lower income respondents were more likely to report not having coverage (51%) compared to those respondents with higher income (33%).   After messaging, nearly 9 in 10 respondents (88%) expressed support for adding a dental benefit to Medicare with more than 6 in 10 (66%) expressing strong support.   Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) older adults are more likely to vote to re-elect their Congressperson or Senator if they vote to make oral and dental health services available through Medicare. Justice in Aging has been advocating for adding a dental benefit to Medicare. Check out our resources and join in the advocacy to add #MouthsinMedicare: Adding a Dental Benefit to Medicare Part B: Frequently Asked Questions   Adding a Dental Benefit to Medicare: Reducing Racial Disparities   Creating an Oral Health Benefit in Medicare: A Statutory Analysis ​Share your story! Also, check out a new video, Hidden Pain: America’s Oral Health Crisis.