Imagine if the government offered dental care. New federal rule could make that a reality.

Dentists can limit which insurance plans they take and require uninsured patients to pay cash upfront.

Others steer patients to credit card-style companies that extend credit with high interest rates. Under the arrangement, dentists get paid immediately, and patients get bills and face high-interest penalties if they don't pay the balance during a grace period of several months.

Advocates like Melissa Burroughs, director of public policy at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, aim to level the playing field, making dental care accessible to all.

“For far too many people in this country, oral health care is unaffordable and out of reach,” Burroughs said. “And that's largely because there are very significant gaps in insurance.”

In a move last month that received little fanfare, the Biden administration finalized a rule that would give states the option of adding adult dental insurance coverage as part of their Affordable Care Act plans.

In another attempt to bolster dental coverage, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. on Friday introduced the Comprehensive Dental Care Reform Act of 2024, a bill that would expand dental coverage through Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration and increase the number of dentists, dental hygienists and dental therapists nationwide.

The deficit in dental coverage is immense: nearly 69 million U.S. adults did not have dental insurance or access to routine oral health care last year, according to a survey by the nonprofit CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. Millions more lost dental insurance last year when states began to unwind Medicaid coverage for people who signed up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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• New ACA Policy Expands Access To Dental Care. Now, States Need To Act

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