Gonzalez, CA: Seniors Can't Afford The Dentist So They Go To The Emergency Room: View From A Private Duty Caregiver Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Gilroy, Gonzalez, Greenfield, Hollister, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, San Juan Bautista, Seaside And Soledad California

I've written before on my blog about how Medicare costs didn't rise as much as expected over the last couple of years, not because medical costs aren't rising, but because many seniors can't afford the cost of gas to get to the Doctor or their co-payments. So they simply are putting off going to the Doctor. But it's not just medical appointments that are being missed. USA Today ran a story on Friday about a man who showed up in an emergency room for a toothache. He was on more than 25 medications and scheduled for a non dental-related surgery (all covered by government health plans) but he had no dental coverage and couldn't afford to have the tooth looked at by a Dentist, so he went to the ER. The physician at the ER said the dental infection was potentially fatal, and obviously going into a major surgery with a serious infection could lead to serious complications. "All of this care the patient had received would have been for naught because these programs generally do not cover dental-related problems," physician Alan Sorkey told USA Today. "In his immune-compromised situation, this infected tooth threatened to take his life without immediate treatments. Ironically, Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) will cover a trip to the emergency room for dental abscesses, toothaches and other dental emergencies, but they won't cover a trip to the dentist. California is one of ten states that offer no Medicaid dental benefits to adults. India Gibson, a dentist who works in a low-cost dental clinic estimates that as many as 40% of his patients needing a tooth extraction have previously sought care in an ER. Those ER visits are obviously much more costly than going to a dental clinic and, according to the American Dental Association, those seeking help from an ER return two more times per dental problem in order to manage symptoms. This is just one more example of unneeded waste in our nation's medical system. Medicare and Medi-Cal should start paying for preventative and regular dental visits. This will be cheaper in the long run than treating these patients in the emergency room. A recent report found a dentist office visit including extraction of an infected tooth would be reimbursed by Medicaid at a rate of $107. 3 trips to the ER, on the other hand, would cost $708. It doesn't take a mathematician to realize that there is something wrong with this equation.
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/healthcare/story/2012-01-19/Lack-of-dental-coverage-sends-patients-to-ER-for-pain/52683018/1
About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:
After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member I was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. I became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog