Financing dental care in the US: A contest of means not thought

Abstract

The marketplace has determined the financing of dental services in the US for both philosophical and historical reasons. However, professional dental policy has been influenced by the financial solutions proposed by medicine and the advocates of socialized health care. Market-based dental financial policy has been more successful for middle to higher socioeconomic populations by controlling costs while maintaining a high standard of dental care, preserving choice of provider, and stimulating competition between dental care providers for individuals and dental benefit programs for insured individual. Yet, this financial approach has been less successful for middle to lower socioeconomic populations including the aging population. For these service populations, governmental financing of dental services has provided a “safety-net.” However, neither financial policy has been able to develop their own financial system for providing a high standard of dental services to all socioeconomic peoples who choose to access dental services. This result has given rise to a mixed bag of approach constituted on various different political, economic, and social agendas. Debate continues between public and private sectors regarding financing dental services. Thus, financially vulnerable consumers must be aware of private charitable and governmental programs from which to obtain dental services.

Keywords

• Financing dental services. Economic policy. Public sector financing. Private sector financing. Private sector regulation