Sanders Introduces Dental Care Bill

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Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation that he says is designed to deal with a growing dental care crisis in this country.

Sanders, who is the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health, says as many as 130 million Americans lack any type of dental insurance.

His legislation would provide dental benefits to everyone covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veterans Administration.

Sanders says the plan would cost $25 billion a year and would be financed by imposing a small surcharge on large stock transactions.

He says it’s critical to address this issue before it gets worse.

"It means that millions and millions of children, older people if you’re on Medicare, truthfully Medicare does not cover dental needs," said Sanders. "So you add all that up and I think it is a dental crisis which we really do not talk enough about."

Sanders wants to increase access to dental care by expanding the role of federal community health care centers around the country. He says 6 centers in Vermont currently offer these services to roughly 25,000 people.

Sanders says his bill also addresses a shortage of dentists in many parts of the country. His legislation provides emergency funds for the National Health Service Corps to encourage more young people to become dentists.

"If you want to go into health care, you want to be a doctor you want to be a nurse, you want to be a dentist, and you’re prepared to practice in a undeserved area this program will pay off your medical school or dental school loans," said Sanders. " Which for dentists by the way is very, very high or provide scholarships for you to go to dental school."

Sanders says he realizes that there’s little chance that his bill will be passed in the current session of Congress, but he says it’s important to raise these concerns now to encourage lawmakers to deal with this issue in the future.

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