Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Financial Access to Dental Care Among Medicare Beneficiaries
According to AARP, the U.S. population ages, an increasing number of older adults — especially racial and ethnic minorities — risk not having their oral health needs met because they cannot afford to see a dentist. This raises health, quality-of-life and health equity issues for all older Americans. Now is the time for federal and state policymakers to put a concerted effort into making adequate and affordable dental coverage available for Americans of all ages and to close the disparities gap.
[1] Hispanics (35 percent) and African Americans (34 percent) compared with whites (19 percent). AARP calculation using data from the