Teeth in Medicare Resources
Our oral health library features the latest trends and actionable information to optimize oral health care efforts. Use our Contact Us page form to submit more suggestions.
Make Medicare Better
Today, the Medicare program doesn’t provide oral and dental coverage to most Medicare beneficiaries – even when it is needed to treat Medicare-covered diseases. This problem exposes Medicare beneficiaries to […]
Medicare Oral Health Care Update
Addressing the problem of Medicare’s lack of meaningful oral health coverage has long been a focus of the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Over the decades, the Center has assisted beneficiaries […]
2019 Salon Special Report: “Inside Dentistry”
Summary of the 2019 Santa Fe Group Salon: Comprehensive Health Without Oral Health: The Medicare Paradox
Ebook: Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry
Special Report by The Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry on the 2019 Santa Fe Group Salon: Comprehensive Health Without Oral Health: The Medicare Paradox
Kaiser Family Foundation Issues Brief on Policy Options for Improving Dental Coverage for People on Medicare
The brief describes five potential ways to strengthen oral healthcare for older adults, with a focus on creating a new dental benefit under Medicare.
Common Dreams – Urging Congress to Support Medicare for All, Groups Declare Universal Healthcare “A Racial Justice Necessity”
“Communities of color need a healthcare system that rectifies these long-standing structural biases and challenges. Medicare for All is that system” by Jessica Corbett .
American Bar Association Votes to Support Medicare Dental
During its 2019 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, the American Bar Association (ABA)’s House of Delegates overwhelmingly passed a resolution urging Congress to support legislation that would repeal the statutory […]
Presentations from SFG 2019 Salon Now Available
See press coverage, view speaker’ pictures, read bios and find presentations from Comprehensive Health Without Oral Health: The Medicare Paradox, our 2019 Salon.
CDHP Spearheads Letter Urging Congress to Include Oral Health in any Medicare for All Policy
Led by the Children’s Dental Health Project (CDHP) and signed by nearly 100 national and state groups, the letter to Congress outlines principles to make oral healthcare coverage part of […]
AARP Survey Results on Oral Health in Older Americans
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) released the results of a survey investigating the challenges of oral healthcare in the elderly population. Despite results reporting 93% of respondents ages […]
Medicare for All Should Guarantee Coverage for Oral Health
With multiple “Medicare for All” proposals now in circulation in Congress, coverage for oral health care and dental care should be an integral part of these discussions.
Justice in Aging Develops Statutory Analysis of an Oral Health Benefit in Medicare
The Justice in Aging organization released an issue brief analyzing the current statutory framework for Medicare Part B, the advantages of creating an oral healthcare benefit through existing Part B […]
Sen. Cardin (D-MD) Seeks to Add Dental Benefits in Medicare Part B
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Finance Health Care Subcommittee, has introduced legislation (S.22) that creates a dental benefit under Medicare Part B. Currently, Medicare does not pay for […]
New White Paper on Importance of Oral Health Care Benefit for Older Adults
Medicare is the federal health insurance program created in 1965 for people ages 65 and over, regardless of income, medical history or health status. The program was later expanded to […]
Bi-Partisan Request to Congress
Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate put forth requests to use existing statutory authority to provide Traditional Medicare coverage of medically necessary oral and dental treatment.
Compendium October Issue Is Live! With Michael C. Alfano Santa Fe Group President, Addressing Dentistry and the Aging Patient
With the number of senior citizens in America quickly escalating, what are the oral health needs of this burgeoning population group? In this special issue, Compendium explores the biological changes […]
As I See It: Closing MassHealth Gap in Oral Health Coverage
“First as a representative and later as the senator for the First Worcester District, one of my priorities has always been to make sure that people have access to the […]
Oral Health and Older Americans – A Santa Fe Group White Paper
By 2030, one in five Americans will be over age 65, with a longer life expectancy and a dynamic balance between oral and systemic health. Only a limited proportion of […]
AJPH Article: Dental Homes for Older Americans: The Santa Fe Group Call for Removal of the Dental Exclusion in Medicare
Older Americans need dental homes to receive appropriate dental care and maintain health. Removal of the dental exclusion in Medicare would pave the way for inclusion of dental care in […]
Overview of Oral Health in Older Adults – Gerontological Society of America
As populations in the United States and around the globe move toward a world in which 25% of people will be 65 years or older, much attention is being paid […]
A National Imperative: Oral Health Services In Medicare
Dental benefits are not included in Medicare despite the reality that more Americans are living well beyond their 65th birthdays. In the United States, 10,000 people turn 65 every day, which […]
Santa Fe Group Salon Expanding Oral Healthcare for America’s Seniors
A meeting to explore ways to expand access to oral health care for seniors—possibly by expanding a dental benefit in Medicare—was convened in Arlington, VA, by the Santa Fe Group.