Oral Health: Factors Contributing to Low Use of Dental Services by Low-Income Populations
Author: United States General Accounting Office
Date Published: 2000
For many years, the federal government has taken steps to make dental care more available to low-income people. The primary vehicle has been Medicaid, a joint federal and state health financing program for more than 40 million people from low-income families and poor aged, blind, or disabled people. The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) covers about 2 million additional low-income children who do not qualify for Medicaid. Still other programs support community and migrant health centers and other facilities and medical personnel in locations where low-income people live. These programs, although relatively small compared with Medicaid, extend health care services to many additional low-income and vulnerable populations. Despite such efforts, the use of dental services remains low for many. In April 2000, responding in part to a request from you to study this issue, we reported that Medicaid and SCHIP beneficiaries and other low-income people have low rates of dental visits and high rates of dental disease relative to the rest of the population. To help determine why, this report addresses factors that explain low dental services use by Medicaid and SCHIP beneficiaries and the role of other federal safety-net programs in improving access to dental care.
Date Published: 2000
For many years, the federal government has taken steps to make dental care more available to low-income people. The primary vehicle has been Medicaid, a joint federal and state health financing program for more than 40 million people from low-income families and poor aged, blind, or disabled people. The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) covers about 2 million additional low-income children who do not qualify for Medicaid. Still other programs support community and migrant health centers and other facilities and medical personnel in locations where low-income people live. These programs, although relatively small compared with Medicaid, extend health care services to many additional low-income and vulnerable populations. Despite such efforts, the use of dental services remains low for many. In April 2000, responding in part to a request from you to study this issue, we reported that Medicaid and SCHIP beneficiaries and other low-income people have low rates of dental visits and high rates of dental disease relative to the rest of the population. To help determine why, this report addresses factors that explain low dental services use by Medicaid and SCHIP beneficiaries and the role of other federal safety-net programs in improving access to dental care.
