April 10, 2004

By: Walker Bentley
Website: http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com

Oral Health Legislation – New Legislation To Be Introduced By Sanders

Representative Bernie Sanders announced that today he will be introducing the Oral Health Promotion Act, sweeping national legislation designed to expand access to dental health services in Vermont and across the United States.

Sanders’ legislation creates a $140 million dollar fund to finance the workforce, capital and equipment needed to establish or expand dental care services at community health centers and other community-based clinics throughout the country. It also expands dental coverage under Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and creates incentives for states to reimburse dentists at market-based rates for their services under these programs. Rep.

Sanders was joined today at the announcement by Dr. Roger T. Ivey, Director of Dental Health Services for the Vermont Department of Health, and Joseph B. Arioli, Executive Director of the Community Health Center of Burlington.

Sanders said, In small towns and large cities throughout America there are large numbers of children who are suffering because they are unable to afford proper dental care. For too many people their only real dental care is having their teeth extracted in a hospital emergency room. It is high time that Congress make a commitment to solve the dental crisis in this country.

Sanders noted that he was working in Washington to secure funding for several dental programs in Vermont, including projects in Bellows Falls, Burlington, Sharon, and St. Albans.

Sanders concluded, One hundred and eight million Americans have no dental insurance at all - no coverage for emergency services, no coverage for fillings, no coverage for braces, no coverage for check-ups. Sadly, it should come as no surprise that low-income children are disproportionately affected by this crisis.

Twenty-five percent of poor and minority children never visit a dentist before entering kindergarten. There is a lot of lost education, lost productivity and lost pay because of this problem. The legislation that I am offering will be a gigantic step forward in addressing this crisis.

Author Notes:

Walker Bentley contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com.  Everything you need to know to get a whiter, brighter smile!