- Target:
- committee of health, education, labor and pensions
- Region:
- United States of America
-The National Coalition on Health Care reported that "American families spent an average of $6,000 out-of-pocket pay on insurance and medical costs such as co-pays in 2009" Estimates of that number are said to sky rocket to $9,000 by 2012.
- The Society for Human Resource Management reports that dental insurance is at the top of the list of benefits that employers are planning to cut back. As if they aren't bad enough.
- According to a 2009 Harris Interactive/HealthDay Poll More than 50% of uninsured and 30% of insured Americans skipped necessary dentist visits in the last year due to financial burdens.
-The most recent Gallup-Healthways poll of 355,344 Americans show that 34% of the population did not go to a dentist at all last year.
-According to the American Dental Hygienist Association, almost 75% of adults in America suffer from forms of gum disease and are not aware of it.
*Cited from -The National Coalition on Health Care reported that "American families spent an average of $6,000 out-of-pocket pay on insurance and medical costs such as co-pays in 2009" Estimates of that number are said to sky rocket to $9,000 by 2012.
- The Society for Human Resource Management reports that dental insurance is at the top of the list of benefits that employers are planning to cut back. As if they aren't bad enough.
- According to a 2009 Harris Interactive/HealthDay Poll More than 50% of uninsured and 30% of insured Americans skipped necessary dentist visits in the last year due to financial burdens.
-The most recent Gallup-Healthways poll of 355,344 Americans show that 34% of the population did not go to a dentist at all last year.
-According to the American Dental Hygienist Association, almost 75% of adults in America suffer from forms of gum disease and are not aware of it.
*Cited from Dentalplans.com*
In the year 2000 Sugeon General's Report "Oral Health In America" the amount of oral problems and disease was referred to as a "silent epidemic". With a simple dentist visit costing a large bit of a paycheck, it is impossible for some to receive any care at all.
Most dentist offices and oral surgeons require the amount paid in full before ever seeing a patient or performing procedures. I know from experience that there are very little that will work with patients on a payment schedule. It is not uncommon for americans to suffer severe, debilitating or even life threatening problems due to lack of dental insurance and fundings.
While those who have Medicare are able to receive many benefits, there are still millions of adults who suffer on a daily basis due to oral issues, most that could easily be fixed and most that could have even easier been prevented if some type of funding were available. This is nothing short of an epidemic. Adults should have at least enough funding for an annual check-up in order to prevent such severe problems.
When dentist visits are unbelievably high, most adults cannot afford to have annual check-ups which would greatly decrease the large number of problems that occur.
I'm starting this petition to remind us all that dental health, even for adults, is a necessity. It is a necessity for a person to obtain a decent standard of oral health for their general well being, but adults are largely looked over, ignored in this area. There is very little, if any funding available for those stuck between Medicare and no dental insurance. I'm here to remind us all that death does and has been a result of lack of funding or help for dental care! When a person has not had a check-up, minor dental problems become severe and even life threatening. Occasionally, those with life threatening problems can achieve some type of funding, but why are we not using "fundings" to PREVENT the problems from becoming so out of hand? It would be a more sensible solution.
I had wanted to start somewhere in my journey to make a difference in this particular area. I wanted to make a difference and starting a petition and educating people seems like a decent start. When I learned there had been several deaths in the recent years in the Tennessee area, I was determined to do something, anything about our severe lack of care in this area.
One woman from Tennessee had been suffering from a severe oral infection and with no insurance and not enough money to get proper dental care she took it upon herself to pull her tooth and take her out of agonizing pain. This resulted in her death. Death! Nobody should have to die from lack of oral care when it IS available, when there ARE ways to get fundings here. It broke my heart to learn about that woman and to be frank, it should yours too.
I want to start with this small petition asking that we all think about how out of hand this is and possibly start coming up with ideas, plans to prevent these things and to provide some type of fundings. You have to start somewhere! Think about the epidemic, that is what this is. I want to ask that something be done to provide fundings for adults with no insurance or dental benefits. I believe with enough people who care, we can go a very long way with this. A simple annual check-up can save a life. It can prevent so much from happening.
Please take into consideration those who suffer daily from lack of oral care. I trust that everyone in charge will make the right decision and refuse to ignore this "epidemic" any longer. I am willing to do what ever it takes to get my petition out there and have support. I will continue to find ways to help the issue at hand. Please consider giving adults without insurance or medicare the appropriate fundings for dental care. Even a small change is a start.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to a response. I will also look forward to updates and changes on the issue. Together we can make things better!
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The Help adults recieve dental funds petition to committee of health, education, labor and pensions was written by kendra richards and is in the category Health at GoPetition.