Five Decades Later, Medicare Might Cover Dental Care
Margot Sanger-Katz The New York Times
A patient being fitted for a top denture at the Northern Counties Dental Center in Hardwick, Vt. Dentistry is expensive, and expanding Medicare to cover it could help people keep their teeth longer. (photo: Kelly Burgess/NYT)
05 September 2021
In the large budget bill now in Congress, supporters of the measure see a rare opportunity to advance a popular policy.
The proposal, part of the large budget bill moving through Congress, would be among the largest changes to Medicare since its creation in 1965 but would require overcoming resistance from dentists themselves, who are worried that it would pay them too little.
The impact could be enormous for people like Natalie Hayes, 69. Ms. Hayes worked in restaurants, raised a son and managed her health as best she could within her limited means. As she lost her teeth — most of them many years ago and her remaining front ones last fall — she simply lived with it.
