Nearly 370,000 Hoosiers lost dental insurance last year. Here's what happened.

Binghui Huang, Indianapolis Star

Nearly 370,000 Hoosiers lost dental insurance last year, according to a study by a nonprofit that tracks access to dental care. Without insurance, families and children may not get teeth cleanings, oral exams, cavity fillings and surgeries. In addition. poor oral health can lead to other medical problems, increasing a person's risk for diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Indiana's steep drop in insured families came after a national pandemic-era policy ensuring Medicaid dental coverage ended, according to Dr. Kaz Rafia, chief health equity officer at Boston-based CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, which released the study.Nationwide, 12 million people lost dental insurance.

Some people lost insurance due to paperwork problems. Others no longer qualified for Medicaid but may not have private insurance, Rafia said.

Dr. Jill Burns prepares to clean and fill a cavity for Jessica Brock (not pictured) on Monday, August 21, 2023, at West Main Family Dental in Richmond, Ind. Brock found the office for her and her son after a difficult search for a practice that accepts Medicaid insurance.
Dr. Jill Burns prepares to clean and fill a cavity for Jessica Brock (not pictured) on Monday, August 21, 2023, at West Main Family Dental in Richmond, Ind. Brock found the office for her and her son after a difficult search for a practice that accepts Medicaid insurance.

"Folks end up in the emergency department because they don't have a way to take care of their most urgent and low-cost dental needs, which leads to more expensive care," he said. And that cost can get shifted to everyone else through taxes and private insurance premiums.

Poor dental health can also make it hard to find a job or lead to missed work days, Rafia said.

Dental problems are common across the country. One in four adults has untreated tooth decay, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Low-income individuals and people of color are more likely to lack access to dental care, leading them to go untreated.

Tooth decay and cavities can lead to tooth loss.

One possible fix, Rafia said, is to automatically enroll eligible people in government insurance so paperwork problems won't stand in the way of coverage. Another solution would be to reduce the frequency of the renewal process for Medicaid.

"Can you imagine if your driver's license was due for renewal every year?" he said. "Can you imagine how many of us would get pulled over and how many of us would end up losing the privilege to drive because it has to be renewed every year?"

Binghui Huang can be reached at 317-385-1595 or Bhuang@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Nearly 370,000 Hoosiers lost dental insurance last year.

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