Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is vital for kids' wellbeing

September is a big month for kids – not only are they starting or heading back to school, but this year they also are taking center stage in Washington as Congress heads back from its own summer recess. Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will expire at the end of September, meaning Congress must act swiftly to ensure continued, comprehensive medical and dental coverage for our nation’s children.

Nationwide, CHIP covers approximately 9 million uninsured kids (and in some cases, pregnant mothers) in families with incomes that are modest but too high to qualify for Medicaid. 

States administer the CHIP program in different ways. Your state may have a separate CHIP program, combine the CHIP and Medicaid programs, or include CHIP within Medicaid expansion initiatives. Although administered by states in a variety of ways, the federal government provides matching federal funds to all states and that funding is vital to the program’s continued success.

Historically, CHIP reauthorization and funding have enjoyed bipartisan support, with members of Congress working together to guarantee health care coverage for vulnerable children. However, with the hotly-contested debates over Affordable Care Act repeal and replace legislation, securing the future of the CHIP program may prove significantly more challenging this time around…

Congress must tackle a significant number of important issues in short order this September. 

Addressing the debt ceiling to avoid a government shutdown, authorizing Hurricane Harvey relief, and handling a Trump administration proposal to privatize air traffic control are all at the top of the list. But Congress cannot lose sight the importance of CHIP. 

Without a long-term solution, states will be left with uncertainty over the future of their health care programs for kids. If CHIP funding is not renewed, or not renewed by the end of the month, states will be forced to make difficult decisions regarding the enrollment of the children in their programs. Without this funding, some children will be left without any form of medical or dental coverage.

We have seen over time that coverage leads to care and access to appropriate dental care is vital for children. In particular, tooth decay, the most common chronic disease among children, is degenerative without treatment and prevention, and research shows poor oral health impacts school performance and attendance.

But CHIP’s importance extends beyond oral health. 

For example, recent research indicates that treatment of gum disease can lead to better overall health management—as evidenced by lower health care costs and fewer hospitalizations—among people with common health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. Ultimately, Congress must understand the gravity of their decision – coverage for children positions them well for a lifetime of optimal health and success. Don’t let politics put this at risk. Instead, let’s collaborate across party lines to quickly develop a sustainable plan that provides effective coverage for children and mothers in CHIP.

September 2017 marks the start of school and the start of what could make or break our children’s futures. This month is about ensuring our next generation is well-positioned to achieve optimal health throughout their lifetimes. As an organization committed to improving the oral health of all, DentaQuest strongly urges Congress to work together on CHIP funding and reauthorization in time to protect these vulnerable populations.

Make sure your voice is heard! 

Look up your Representative or Senator and ask them to renew CHIP funding and support long-term, sustainable solutions to protect our children’s health care.

Maryland Dental Action Coalition Launches 5-Year Oral Health Plan

On May 17, the Maryland Dental Acton Coalition proudly presented a 5-year (2011-2015) state plan to promote the oral health of all Marylanders. The plan addresses Maryland’s most critical oral health needs and capitalizes on available resources and data.

Speaking at the celebratory launch event is The Honorable Elijah Cummings, U.S. Congress, a long time supporter of oral health access for children in Maryland and across the United States. Also speaking are Delegate Keith Haynes, Maryland General Assembly, Renee Cohen on behalf of the Honorable Ben Cardin, U.S. Congress, Josh Sharfstein, Secretary, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Joseph and Madeline Misero, Katrina Holt, Chair, MDAC Maryland Oral Health Plan Committee, and Beth Lowe, Chair, MDAC. Also speaking is Ralph Fuccillo, President of the DentaQuest Foundation, which provided start up grant funds to MDAC.

Maryland has become a national model in improving the oral health of its citizens over the last decade. The roots of this process go back to 2007, following the untimely death of a 12-year old Maryland child from an untreated dental infection. A statewide Dental Action Committee (DAC) was convened by John M. Colmers, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), with a specific charge to make recommendations to improve access to oral health care for vulnerable (disadvantaged and/or underinsured) children.

In 2010, the DAC transitioned to the Maryland Dental Action Coalition (MDAC), an independent, broad-based partnership of individuals working to make sure progress continued on the DAC’s recommendations for improving access to oral health care for all Marylanders. Last year, MDAC hosted an Oral Health Heroes Celebration to recognize the work of these oral health pioneers.

The Maryland Dental Action Coalition and its members initiated the development of a 5-year state oral health plan and offered guidance as it was developed. The process involved many individuals in state and local government, academic institutions, professional dental organizations, private practice dentists, community-based programs, the insurance industry, advocacy groups, and others. The goals, objectives and activities in the plan will be the basis for work of the Maryland Dental Action Coalition in the years ahead specifically for:
• Access to oral health care
• Oral disease and injury prevention
• Oral health literacy and education.

With the launch of the plan comes a new phase of collaborative action to improve oral health for Marylanders. MDAC is taking inspiration from Helen Keller, who once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much!”

A copy of the Maryland Oral Health Plan will be posted to the DentaQuest Foundation website in Reports: www.dentaquestfoundation.org/resources/reports.php

Keeping America’s Oral Health Safety Net Strong

Ask any American what they think about healthcare reform and, for better or worse, you’ll probably find very strong opinions about the role of government and spending.

However, backstage, away from the public debate about the new law, a quiet revolution is underway to help the 59 million Americans who go without medical care and the 100 million who have not had dental care this year, get the care they desperately need.

It’s not the individual mandate or the state health exchanges. It’s the most significant investment in primary care you’ve probably never heard of—an $11 billion commitment to community health centers and $15 billion to prevention programs. It may sound like small potatoes compared to the estimated total cost of healthcare reform--$940 billion over 10 years--but the impact will be significant, especially for those who need it the most.

These funds, reopened for debate by Congress, would double the capacity of community health centers (CHCs) from serving 20 million people a year to 40 million. As the only access point for care besides the emergency room, CHCs provide critical prenatal care, behavioral health services, primary and specialty care for 1 out of 7 uninsured individuals. By 2015, with new capacity, CHCs will serve 1 out 3 uninsured.

Healthcare reform requires that CHCs offer oral health services. This means as many as 17 million children will get to see a dentist, some for the first time ever. Currently, these children are significantly underserved because they can’t access to care to prevent tooth decay and, once they have decay, to get timely treatment.

There’s a reason why former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher declared childhood tooth decay a “silent epidemic”. 6.5 million children have untreated dental disease, the majority of whom are from low-income households. Half of these children are estimated to go to school with mouth pain—as children who cannot eat properly or pay attention in class and do well in school.

For infants 3 years old and younger, this can mean a mouth full of diseased baby teeth that can only be treated through surgical intervention. This is followed by a life time of being at greater risk for tooth decay, because the corrosive bacteria that cause tooth decay have colonized their mouths in greater proportion.

Tooth decay not only disrupts development and educational attainment, it can also turn deadly. The 2007 death of a 14-year-old Maryland boy is a tragic reminder of how one ‘simple’ toothache can develop into an unchecked infection that can quickly spread to the brain. His death could have been prevented with a timely dental care, but, at the time, oral health services were difficult to find for families on Medicaid.

From our work as president of a foundation focused solely on oral health and as a lifelong practicing dentist in both a private practice and a community health center, we see evidence every day of how oral health disparities in underserved communities are every bit as cruel as violence, inadequate housing, or poorly performing schools.

Fortunately, dental disease is nearly 100% preventable with education, regular check-ups for prevention, and treatment. That is why we’re committing DentaQuest Foundation resources to supporting and strengthening the community care safety net for oral health. We want to make sure that greater numbers of health centers will be prepared to provide effective, high-quality oral health services to children and families. The DentaQuest Institute and its Safety Net Solutions program are joining us to make sure that happens.

It may take decades before the impact of this investment in community health centers is fully appreciated. That’s okay. Today we are thinking about the millions of children who will have greater opportunity in life because of accessible health care.

Blog post by Ralph Fuccillo and Dr. Mark Doherty.

Ralph Fuccillo is President of the DentaQuest Foundation.
Dr. Mark Doherty is Executive Director of the DentaQuest Institute. Its Safety Net Solutions Program is helping community health center dental programs become more efficient, effective and financially stable.