Sign-on Letter - Oral Health America

Oral Health America: S.192 Older Americans Act Reauthorization Sign‐on Letter Click here to participate in our sign‐on letter as an organization or individual! For questions, contact Bianca
Rogers, [email protected]. Deadline: May 27th, 2015. Thank you in advance! The Honorable Mitch McConnell Senate Majority Leader S‐230, The Capitol Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Harry Reid Senate Minority Leader S‐221, The Capitol Washington, DC 20510 Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Reid: On behalf of Oral Health America (OHA) and [##] leading national, state, and local organizations and individuals, we urge you to move S.192, The Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2015 (OAA), to the Senate floor for passage. The OAA provides older Americans with much needed community social services that allow them to age healthy and independently in their homes. S.192: Oral Health Screenings Provision in OAA The Senate’s bill includes—for the first time—a small provision that allows the aging network to use funds they receive for disease prevention and health promotion activities to conduct oral health screenings. 
The oral health screenings do not require new or increased appropriations, but rather the provision
directs the aging network to use funds they already receive for disease prevention and health promotion
activities.
Oral health screenings are used to identify signs of disease, reveal general health status and recommend further dental/medical care. For this reason, preventive oral healthcare can significantly impact overall health and cost. For example, in 2010 alone between $867 million and $2.1 billion was spent on emergency dental procedures.i When compared to care delivered in a dentist’s office, hospital treatments are nearly ten times more expensive than the routine care that could have prevented the emergency.ii Older Adults’ Oral Health in State of Decay Each day 10,000 older Americans are retiring.iii In fact, this cohort is expected to reach 72.1 million by year 2030.iv While improvements in oral health across the lifespan have been observed in the last half century, long‐
term concern is warranted for older adults. Unfortunately, too many barriers still exist inhibiting older adults from accessing care such as lack of affordable dental coverage and difficulty finding a provider. Moreover, 70% of older adults lack dental coverage and many are surprised to find that dental benefits are not covered through Medicare. Additionally, 31 states have significant Dental Health Provider Shortage Areas (DHPSAs), meeting only 40% or less of dental provider needs.v For these important reasons, along with all the services the OAA provides to help keep seniors healthy and independent, we contend S.192, the Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, must be considered for passage on the Senate floor. Thank you. i
The PEW Charitable Trusts. (2012). A Costly Dental Destination Hospital Care Means States Pay Dearly. Retrieved from http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/Assets/2012/01/16/A‐Costly‐Dental‐Destination.pdf ii
Allareddy, Veerasathpurush, et al,. (2014). Hospital‐based Emergency Departments Visits Involving Dental Conditions. The Journal of the American Dental Association 145(4): 331‐37. JADA. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24686965 iii
Pew Research Center. (2010). Baby Boomers Retire. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/daily‐number/baby‐boomers‐retire/ iv
Administration on Aging. (2013). Aging Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.aoa.gov/Aging_Statistics/ v
Oral Health America. (2013). A State of Decay. Rep. Vol 2. Print.