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4/9/2010
Rep. Montgomery: Access to Dental Care - A Case Study in Symbolism over Solutions
While much of the recent debate over health care reform at the federal and state level has rightly focused on the cost, access to health care also remains an ongoing concern, particularly for those individuals and families who rely on some form of government assistance. Recognizing the importance of preventative care to the overall health of Wisconsin’s citizens, lawmakers have focused much of their attention on ensuring access to preventative care such as dental care.
According to the state’s dentists, the level of reimbursement they receive from the state and federal government for providing dental care to low-income families and individuals limits their ability to accept more patients. The most recent annual cost data indicates that Wisconsin dentists provided $74 million in dental care services, but received only $32 million in payments from the government for the care they provided to low-income families and individuals. It does not take an advanced degree in accounting to understand why dentists cannot accept more low-income patients when they end up having to cover more than half their costs out of their own pocket.
On Wednesday, the issue of access to dental care came up before the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee when the committee was asked to give approval for the construction of the Marshfield Rural Dental Education Facility. The proponents of the legislation explained that if the state were to set aside $10 million in taxpayer-funded bonds for the construction of this facility, there would be greater access to dental care throughout central and northern Wisconsin. To no one’s surprise, dentists throughout the state are wary of the plan. They are quick to point out that a new state-of-the-art building may bring more dentists to the area, but if those same dentists have to cover a majority of the cost of providing care to low-income families and individuals, the end result will remain as it is today – limited access to dental care.
Following the debate, I offered an amendment to shift the money that would have gone for the construction of the facility over to provide enhanced reimbursement rates for dentists. The amendment was rejected and instead through the force of their majority, the legislative Democrats decided that a new building and lasting legacy that goes along with government-sponsored construction projects outweighs the benefits of listening to the dentists who provide preventative dental care to patients regardless of the ability to pay. Hopefully, in the coming weeks, the Wisconsin State Legislature will get another chance to debate this issue. Perhaps through this debate, we can focus on the solution rather than the symbolism.
Phil Montgomery is a Republican and represents the residents of the 4th Assembly District (Green Bay).
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| 2009 |
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