Almost half of all Medicare beneficiaries did not have a dental visit within the past year (47%), with higher rates among those who are Black (68%) or Hispanic (61%), have low incomes (73%), or who are in fair or poor health (63%), as of 2018. Nearly half of Medicare beneficiaries (47%), or 24 million people, do not have dental coverage, as of 2019.To present a more detailed picture of dental benefits beyond what’s available in these data sets, we examine dental coverage offered by 10 geographically dispersed Medicare Advantage plans offered by different insurers with relatively high enrollment that offer dental benefits (see Methodology and Appendix for more information). Our analysis draws from multiple datasets, including the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey for information on dental visits and out-of-pocket dental costs and the Medicare Advantage Enrollment and Benefit files for data on individual Medicare Advantage plans. We focus on Medicare Advantage plans because they have become the leading source of dental coverage among Medicare beneficiaries. It also takes a closer look at the scope of dental benefits offered to Medicare Advantage enrollees in individual plans in 2021. In light of these ongoing policy discussions, this brief provides new data on the share of Medicare beneficiaries with dental coverage, the share with a dental visit in the past 12 months, and out-of-pocket spending on dental care. 4311) which would cover these benefits under Medicare Part B. Earlier this year, Representative Doggett, joined by 76 members of the House of Representatives, introduced the Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act (H.R. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R.3) that would add a dental benefit to Medicare Part B, along with a vision and hearing benefit, in addition to provisions to reduce prescription drug costs. In 2019, the House of Representatives passed the Elijah E. President Biden’s FY 2022 budget request includes as part of the President’s healthcare agenda “improving access to dental, hearing, and vision coverage in Medicare.” Senate Democrats recently announced an agreement to include Medicare expansions, including dental, vision, and hearing, as part of the budget reconciliation package, though details of the agreement have not yet been released. Policymakers are now discussing options to make dental care more affordable by broadening dental coverage for people on Medicare. Some Medicare beneficiaries have access to dental coverage through other sources, such as Medicare Advantage plans, but the scope of dental benefits, when covered, varies widely and is often quite limited, which can result in high out-of-pocket costs among those with serious dental needs or unmet need. Dental benefits are not generally covered by Medicare, except under limited circumstances, and many people on Medicare do not have any dental coverage at all.
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