by Playfuls Staff |
3rd March 2007
The death of a 12 year old boy in the US has highlighted a glaring gap in
the health care system that is affectively shutting off dental coverage to
millions of Americans. Deamonte Driver died from a tooth [more] infection that spread
into the brain, because his mother didn't have health insurance to pay for a
visit to the dentist.
The American
Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
(AAPD) expressed their deepest condolences to the family of 12-year-old Maryland
boy. According to AAPD Deamonte Driver's death point to a complete system
breakdown. The AAPD continues to advocate across the nation addressing ways to
improve access to dental care for all children. As the state and federal
Medicaid dental system now stands, it is badly broken in many states. Major improvements
need to be made so that more children will not fall through the cracks. Although
Deamonte Driver is a rare case, many children are at-risk.
Oral health is central to overall health. The mouth, as a
part of the body, has long been ignored. Indeed, when dental problems go
untreated innocent victims suffer the unfortunate consequences. This
exemplifies the importance of every child having a dental home and the proper infrastructure
in place to prevent and treat dental decay.
Currently, more than nine million children have no medical
insurance, and the number grows even higher for those without dental insurance.
Families who have Medicaid find the system overbearing, the paperwork
burdensome, and access to care an ultimate challenge. Additionally, establishing
a federal guarantee for dental coverage in State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) is critical.
The AAPD is working hard to support an infrastructure that can
help families who need it most. In some states, such as Michigan,
Alabama, Delaware,
and Tennessee,
the system has been improved. However, there is still a long way to go. At the
end of March, AAPD's leading child advocates will be meeting with legislators
in the nation's capital to address this growing epidemic. The AAPD will
continue to be a beacon of support and advocacy for all children.
The failures of Medicaid dental programs have even lead to
lawsuits in some states, in a fight for equal access to quality healthcare. For
example, a little over a year ago the Florida
chapter of the American Academy
of Pediatric Dentistry
joined with the Florida Pediatric Society and families in a lawsuit against the
state Medicaid program. The lawsuit claims that Florida Medicaid fails to
provide essential medical and dental services as required by Title XIX of the
Social Security Act.
