ENSCONCED IN A once-hard but rapidly gentrifying corner of northeast Washington, D.C., Dimples Dental Suite has a clientele that, in normal times, largely reflects the diversity of a changing urban neighborhood. In Dr. Takeisha Presson's waiting room, white patients with office jobs on nearby Capitol Hill often rub elbows with working-class African Americans, the municipal
Since many dentists closed their doors to routine cleanings and exams in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients were left wondering what the office would look like upon their return. “The dental industry has been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and those effects will continue to be seen and felt for months to
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on our state’s budget. Once again, dental care for poor adults is on the chopping block. Eliminating dental benefits for adults using Medicaid will not solve our budget problems — and will lead to more unnecessary suffering. Good oral health is essential to our health and well-being. It helps us to
Dentists report that Medicaid is a complicated and frustrating system; therefore, only a small percentage of dentists are enrolled providers.1 Very few dentists treat more than a small handful of patients with Medicaid per year. For Medicaid patients, a significant gap exists between their dental care needs and availability of care, but through persistent advocacy,
About 534,000 veterans qualify for dental care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. But that leaves about 94 percent of veterans without dental care from VA. Members of Congress want to change that, but VA leaders objected, arguing the department doesn't have the capacity, staff or money to provide more dental care, which they said
UnitedHealth Group reported $6.6 billion in profit for the second quarter, beating Wall Street projections. That's also a significant increase in profit compared to the second quarter of 2019, where the healthcare giant brought in $3.3 billion, according to its earnings report (PDF) issued Wednesday. UnitedHealth's mid-year profits sit at $10 billion, compared to $6.8 billion in the first half
Of the 87% of executives who see convergence already happening, 89% say it is accelerating—up from 21% who said the same in 2018. While dental payers feel less threatened by health plans, health insurers are much more interested in offering dental benefits now than they were two years ago, according to the report, “Convergence of
If your local dentist's office is busy post-lockdown, we've all got reason to smile! The New York Times recently reported that dental offices serve as a bellwether for our economy: when business is booming, it's typically a sign of economic stability. This would be very welcome news post-lockdown, given that so many Americans have lost
Daniel Roberts kept the broken tooth — or what was left of it. He can joke about the souvenir a month later, but initially found nothing funny about needing a dental procedure in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. “Basically, it was just rotten, and a good chunk of it was cracked,” Roberts says. He
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things about our daily lives. Your regular visits to the dentist have changed, too. In March, the ADA recommended that dentists postpone all but emergency procedures until April 30 at the earliest to help reduce the spread of the virus; save masks gloves and other personal protective equipment
