Casten Leads 14 Colleagues in Letter Calling for Medicare Expansion
Washington, D.C.—Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) led 14 colleagues in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging the expansion of Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing services in the Build Back Better Act.
The letter said in part, "Expanding Medicare has support from overwhelming bipartisan majorities of the American people. A recent poll found that 84% of the participants, including more than three-quarters of Republicans, support expanding Medicare benefit coverage to include dental, hearing, and vision."
"Medicare today does not cover dental, vision, or hearing services, with very limited exceptions. Because few people have supplemental insurance covering these additional services, among people who received care, 75 percent of their costs of dental and hearing services and 60 percent of their costs of vision services were paid out of pocket. On average, annual out-of-pocket spending was $914 for hearing care, $874 for dental care, and $230 for vision care2. As a result, among Medicare beneficiaries, 75 percent of people who needed a hearing aid did not have one; 70 percent of people who had trouble eating because of their teeth did not go to the dentist in the past year; and 43 percent of people who had trouble seeing did not have an eye exam in the past year."
[1] Sanger-Katz, M. (2021, September 20). Five Decades Later, Medicare Might Cover Dental Care. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/29/upshot/medicare-dental-care.html
2 Lee, C. (2021, September 21). Many Medicare Beneficiaries Face High Out-Of-Pocket Costs for Dental and Hearing Care, Whether in Traditional MEdicare or Medicare Advantage. Retrieved from Kaiser Family Foundation: https://www.kff.org/health-costs/press-release/many-medicare-beneficiaries-face-high-out-of-pocket-costs-for-dental-and-hearing-care-whether-in-traditional-medicare-or-medicare-advantage/
The full letter can be found here and below:
Dear Majority Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi:
Thank you for your continued leadership to ensure a robust Build Back Better Act is passed and enacted for the well-being of all Americans, especially vulnerable seniors and people with long term disabilities. As Congress negotiates the final Build Back Better package, we request you to prioritize the inclusion of expanding Medicare coverage to include dental, vision, and hearing benefits.
Expanding Medicare has support from overwhelming bipartisan majorities of the American people. A recent poll found that 84% of the participants, including more than three-quarters of Republicans, support expanding Medicare benefit coverage to include dental, hearing, and vision1.
As you are aware, Medicare today does not cover dental, vision, or hearing services, with very limited exceptions2. Because few people have supplemental insurance covering these additional services, among people who received care, 75 percent of their costs of dental and hearing services and 60 percent of their costs of vision services were paid out of pocket. On average, annual out-of-pocket spending was $914 for hearing care, $874 for dental care, and $230 for vision care3. As a result, among Medicare beneficiaries, 75 percent of people who needed a hearing aid did not have one; 70 percent of people who had trouble eating because of their teeth did not go to the dentist in the past year; and 43 percent of people who had trouble seeing did not have an eye exam in the past year.
Neglecting dental, vision and hearing issues often has a cascading effect on one's physical health, psychological, and emotional health—making it even more critical that we ensure all Medicare beneficiaries have affordable access to these vital health services.
- Dental problems, and their accompanying inflammation and bacteria, can worsen other chronic conditions, like diabetes and heart disease. And missing or sore teeth can make it hard to eat a healthy diet and frequently leads to malnutrition4.
- Hearing loss increases the risk of dementia, fall, and depression and may increase social isolation and reduce cognitive function5.
- Poor vision is associated with an increased risk of falls, depression, cognitive impairment, hospitalization, and limited mobility6.
Ensuring that older adults and people with long-term disability or end-stage renal disease have dental, hearing, and vision benefits has long been a priority for Congress. These services were included in H.R. 3 that passed the House of Representatives in the 116thCongress, and we need to deliver on this promise.
We now have an opportunity to ensure the expansion of Medicare in the Build Back Better Act—guaranteeing health care for millions of older adults and people with disabilities. Therefore, we encourage you to maintain the expansion and improvement of Medicare in the Build Back Better Act. Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
1 Sanger-Katz, M. (2021, September 20). Five Decades Later, Medicare Might Cover Dental Care. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/29/upshot/medicare-dental-care.html
2 Willink, A., Schoen, C., & Davis, K. (2018, January 18). How Medicare Could Provide Dental, Vision, and Hearing Care for Beneficiaries. Retrieved from The Commonwealth Fund: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2018/jan/how-medicare-could-provide-dental-vision-and-hearing-care
3 Lee, C. (2021, September 21). Many Medicare Beneficiaries Face High Out-Of-Pocket Costs for Dental and Hearing Care, Whether in Traditional MEdicare or Medicare Advantage. Retrieved from Kaiser Family Foundation: https://www.kff.org/health-costs/press-release/many-medicare-beneficiaries-face-high-out-of-pocket-costs-for-dental-and-hearing-care-whether-in-traditional-medicare-or-medicare-advantage/
4 Gleckman, H. (2021, July 22). Adding Dental, Vision, and Hearing to Traditional Medicare Would Be Expensive, But Important. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/howardgleckman/2021/07/22/adding-dental-vision-and-hearing-to-traditional-medicare-would-be-expensive-but-important/?sh=3bf78ef05701
5 Center for Medicare Advocacy. (n.d.). Medicare Coverage of Hearing Care and Audiology Services. Retrieved from Center for Medicare Advocacy: https://medicareadvocacy.org/medicare-info/medicare-coverage-of-hearing-care-and-audiology-services/
6 Katch, H., & Van de Water, P. (2020, December 8). Medicaid and Medicare Enrollees Need Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefits. Retrieved from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/medicaid-and-medicare-enrollees-need-dental-vision-and-hearing-benefits#_ftn28
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