Improve access to basic dental care

The Illinois General Assembly faces an important decision that will impact hundreds of thousands of families - modestly increasing funding to address a critical issue that affects the health of millions of people in Illinois. Today, nearly two million Illinois residents are stuck in a dental care gap with little or no access to basic dental care. To address this issue, the Bridge to Healthy Smiles coalition launched a three-point legislative plan that will provide access to dental care for families, many of whom must wait up to six months and travel up to four hours to visit their nearest dentist.

Illinois has among the lowest funding rates for dental Medicaid in the country and has not seen an increase in more than 30 years. In fact, there was a seven percent decrease in 2002 to help balance the state's budget. The state's Medicaid budget is $12 billion of which 1.6 percent is dedicated to dental care. Dentists are only reimbursed 46 percent of the procedure cost for treating public aid patients. Bringing dental Medicaid funding rates to a minimal level that will cover the dentist's basic cost of service is overdue.

We're asking for a modest increase of 18 percent. Our comprehensive three-point plan calls for the funding of 10 new dental clinics, raising funding for Medicaid dental care and offering student loan forgiveness for dentists who practice in under-served counties. This is an issue that spans our great state and includes more than 40 percent of urban and rural Illinois. Access to care should not be determined based on income. Twenty-six percent of poor or low-income families visit dentists annually compared to 40 percent of middle-income families and 54 percent of high-income families. We have put forth a reasonable solution to the oral health-care crisis in Illinois. Now it's up to our elected leaders to act in the best interest of the more than two million children and adults who need access to dental care the most.

Dr. Keith Dickey

Illinois State

Dental Society

Springfield