Oral health consortium and the PAN Foundation commend CMS for progress and urge expanded Medicare dental coverage
The Consortium for Medically Necessary Oral Health Coverage and nearly 250 leading organizations, including the PAN Foundation, commended the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for expanding access to medically necessary dental care linked to critical treatments like dialysis for end-stage renal disease. Together, these organizations also continue to urge Congress and the Administration to consider options for extending evidence-based dental coverage to all Medicare beneficiaries.
Action of this nature is critically important. While overall health is inextricably linked to oral health, dental care has long been inaccessible to millions of Medicare beneficiaries, not only increasing their risk of suffering untreated periodontal disease, but also increasing Medicare beneficiaries’ risk of suffering chronic conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune disease, kidney disease, heart disease, and numerous forms of cancer, with the result being an increase in overall Medicare program costs. For this reason, the Consortium welcomes the final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2025 as another meaningful step forward for Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare solvency, and oral systemic health.