Medicare beneficiaries would get dental, vision and hearing coverage if several bills now before Congress pass. In addition, the government would get authority to negotiate prices with drugmakers and create a cap for Medicare out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs. All have cleared the necessary committees over the last couple of weeks and now await full … Read more
Families of special needs patients say that Governor Dunleavy’s cuts to Medicaid leave them without coverage for preventative dental care. “When they cut it, everything went away,” said Cathy Scott, a mother of a 30-year-old man living with special needs. Scott’s son, David Scott, is non-verbal and lives in a care facility. When David Scott … Read more
During last night’s Democratic debates, Senator Bernie Sanders naturally talked up his signature policy point, his Medicare for All proposal. He also made a familiar comparison, describing a bus trip he made from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, with Americans who fill prescriptions in the northern country at a fraction of what they cost south of the border. “I … Read more
The NDP will be the first Canadian federal party to unveil an election platform that promises to drastically expand Canada’s health care system to include, not just pharmacare, but mental, dental, eye and hearing coverage for all citizens. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh unveiled the platform in Hamilton on Sunday. CBC was given an early look … Read more
Quebec families with children who have cancer will no longer have to foot the bill for certain dental work. The province announced on Friday that medicare now cover the cost of dental care for young cancer survivors who have dental problems as a result of having undergone chemotherapy or radiation treatments. “We’re going to cover … Read more
The government of Nova Scotia says it will now pay for more basic dental treatment for children without private insurance. In a news release Wednesday morning, the province announced an expansion to the Children’s Oral Health Program, which covers children aged 14 and younger when private insurance is not available. Under the expansion, children can … Read more
B.C. Premier John Horgan is not opposed to the idea of the province covering dental care as part of the provincial health care system. Horgan was asked about the issue as part of a year-end interview with Global News. “We have been looking at it and hopefully we will be able to do something about it … Read more
There are many challenges facing the governors and state lawmakers across the U.S. who will soon be gaveling in their 2019 legislative sessions. Among the most pressing are rising health care costs and the lack of access to care that has become a crisis in certain parts of the country, particularly in rural areas. The … Read more
Providing dental coverage as a preventive care benefit may help providers and payers reduce the number of emergency department visits and hospitalizations, according to a new two-year study from Capital BlueCross, Dominion National, and Geneia LLC. Integrating dental services more tightly into the medical care continuum helped to cut utilization by individuals with chronic conditions, researchers said. … Read more
Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has suspended dental and vision benefits for nearly 500,000 Medicaid recipients after a federal judge blocked his plan to overhaul the safety net program. Bevin’s administration was set to launch a massive reorganization of Medicaid benefits on July 1. The changes, which were approved by the Trump administration in January, included … Read more
With the Ontario election just a couple weeks away and endless information about the parties’ platforms circulating, it’s a good time to refresh yourself on what healthcare promises are being made. Dental care has been a massive topic for each party this year, with everything from lower costs to universal dental care being promised. While … Read more
“Selling” treatment is a challenge for many dentists. Treatment can be costly and it is not easy to convince some patients there is value when they do not “feel” they have a problem. Bottom line…bleeding gums are not a big problem if there is no pain or discomfort…right? Even with an employee benefit plan covering … Read more
Ontarians lacking workplace health insurance will get up to $700 a year to defray the cost of medicines and dentist visits starting in summer 2019 under the Wynne government’s pre-election budget. Augmenting a new OHIP+ pharmacare plan and the existing Healthy Smiles aid for needy families, the promised Ontario Drug and Dental Program would reimburse 80 … Read more
Ontario’s NDP is promising to introduce “Canada’s first universal Pharmacare plan” that would cover dental care and prescription drug costs should the party form a government following the June provincial election. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath announced the plan at a campaign-style event in downtown Toronto on Saturday that laid out five key planks of her election platform. “We are going to make sure … Read more
The New Democrats are looking to address a little unfinished business. NDP Leader Gary Burrill announced Monday that if his party wins the provincial election at the end of the month, the NDP will expand dental care coverage for young people up to and including age 17. The program currently covers people up to age 14. … Read more