CHICAGO, Illinois – The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), in anticipation of “Cover the Uninsured Week” (April 23-29, 2007), is asking Congress to respond to the urgent need for all Americans, especially children, to have access to health insurance.

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, there are nine million children (11 percent) without healthcare coverage in the United States, and three quarters of them have at least one parent who is employed full-time. “Parents who are working should be able to have health insurance for their children,” stated AGD President Bruce DeGinder, DDS, MAGD. “That is what this week is all about, and the AGD remains committed to achieving access to care for everyone,” added DeGinder.

Further, the Foundation found that since 1997, insurance offered to parents with lower incomes has fallen three times as fast as insurance offered to parents who earn more money. Nationally, fewer than half (47 percent) of parents in families earning less than $40,000 a year are offered health insurance through their employer – a nine percent drop since 1997. States with the highest percentages of uninsured children include Texas (20.3 percent), Florida (16.9 percent), New Mexico (16.6 percent), Nevada (16.4 percent), and Montana (16.2 percent).

“Cover the Uninsured Week” 2007 will focus on the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the need to cover America's uninsured children. Events will be held in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to highlight the success of SCHIP, demonstrate the need for public children's health coverage programs, help uninsured children get enrolled in public coverage programs, and continue to press for coverage for all uninsured Americans.

The SCHIP is a successful program that covers more than six million children whose parents work but cannot afford health insurance for their children. Since the program began 10 years ago, the number of children living without health insurance was reduced by more than one third.

“Children with healthcare coverage tend to excel in school and achieve success in life,” said Janet Kopenhaver, AGD’s Washington lobbyist. “Therefore, we need to help those more than nine million children who have no health insurance in the United States.”

The SCHIP must be reauthorized by Congress this year. The AGD calls on legislators to pass reauthorization legislation that includes language to:

• Establish a Federal Guarantee for Dental Coverage in SCHIP - All states have recognized that poor oral health affects children’s general health and provide dental coverage. However, this coverage is often the first benefit cut when states experience funding shortfalls. Congress can ensure dental care for children by establishing dental coverage in SCHIP.
• Develop a Dental Wrap-Around Benefit in SCHIP - Children who receive medical benefits through their parents’ insurance are not eligible for dental coverage through SCHIP, even if they meet the income and other eligibility standards. Congress should alter the program so that it allows for children’s supplemental dental coverage when their parents are covered by employers.
• Support Ongoing Outreach Efforts to Enroll All Eligible Children in SCHIP – More than nine million children remain uninsured, and nearly two-thirds of those children are currently eligible but not enrolled in SCHIP. Dental outreach initiatives are essential.
• Enact Mechanisms to Ensure Reliable Data Reporting in Dental Care in SCHIP – Only eight states currently provide any information on their SCHIP dental program and little is known about dental programs performance nationally. Without sufficient and consistent data, it is not possible to evaluate the impact or effectiveness of SCHIP dental benefits.

SOURCE: Academy of General Dentistry

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