While the Affordable Care Act is expected to expand public and private coverage for children when it takes effect in 2014, significant gaps will remain, especially for low-income adults age 21 and older. This June 19, 2012, a public forum at the Foundation’s Washington, D.C. offices examined the gaps and disparities in dental coverage and care in the United States today; the health, social, and other consequences of these systemic deficiencies; and promising strategies for ensuring access to oral health care for all Americans. The Foundation also released four new and updated resources that present data and analyze issues related to oral health care, coverage and access in the U.S.

The forum featured a short segment of the Frontline/Center for Public Integrity documentary “Dollars and Dentists” followed by discussion and Q&A with a panel of experts, including:

• Marcia Brand, Deputy Administrator at the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration
• Terry Dickinson, DDS, Director of the Virginia Dental Association and Founder of Mission of Mercy
• Debony Hughes, DDS, Program Chief, Dental Health Program, Prince George’s County (Md.) Health Department
• Greg Nycz, Executive Director of the Family Health Center of Marshfield, Inc., in Marshfield, Wisc.

Diane Rowland, Executive Vice President of the Kaiser Family Foundation and Executive Director of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, chaired the forum and Jackie Judd, a Vice President at the Foundation, moderated the panel discussion.

Full Video

Transcript (.pdf)
Presentation Slides (.pdf)
Agenda (.pdf)
Participant Biographies (.pdf)

Related Briefs:

 Oral Health in the U.S.: Key Facts

 Children and Oral Health: Assessing Needs, Coverage and Access

 Oral Health and Medicare Beneficiaries: Coverage, Out-of-Pocket Spending, and Unmet Need

 Oral Health and Low-Income Nonelderly Adults: A Review of Coverage and Access