PAN’s Center for Patient Research featured in TIME article about American dental health

There are about 72 million Americans who don’t have dental insurance, according to a recent report by the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. What’s driving this and what can be done to get more people access to dental care? This TIME article explores those questions and more.

The article highlights survey findings from PAN Foundation’s Center for Patient Research that found about 40 percent of adults who have health insurance don’t get regular dental care. Even for patients with commercial dental insurance, their insurance plan coverage doesn’t provide much out-of-pocket cost protection beyond a dental cleaning and annual check-up. The PAN Foundation poll also found that only 45 percent of people with Medicaid visit the dentist at least once per year, compared to 62 percent of those with Medicare and 68 of people with commercial insurance. Of those who do not receive regular dental care, 36 percent say it’s because they can’t afford it.

Not having regular dental care can negatively impact one’s overall health and lead to heart disease and respiratory disease. The TIME article goes on to outline preventative dental care measures that can improve health and also save money. It quotes PAN’s Chief Mission Officer, Amy Niles, as saying: “In this country, we don’t always embrace the importance and value of preventative care to prevent disease later on.”

This is why the PAN Foundation advocates for expanding Medicare, Medicaid, and marketplace coverage to include dental, hearing, and vision benefits. Learn more about this policy position.