Extending back to the debates around the creation of Medicare and Medicaid and continuing through to the more recent Affordable Care Act (ACA) discussions, oral health has consistently been left out of policy proposals aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of America’s older adults. Now, advocates for improved oral health are working toward new policy reforms that will increase access, advance education, and expand training opportunities to improve the state of oral health for America’s older adults.
By Jessica Nagro
Oral health has routinely been excluded from public policy initiatives aimed at improving access to and quality of healthcare in the United States. Extending back to the debates around the creation of Medicare and Medicaid and continuing through to the more recent Affordable Care Act (ACA) discussions, oral health has consistently been left out of policy proposals aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of America’s older adults.