Healthcare Debate Paper

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School

Unitek College, Fremont *

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Course

PHIL415A

Subject

Philosophy

Date

May 21, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

4

Uploaded by carineetorress

1 Carine Torres Unitek College, BSN Program PHIL415 Professor Jared Hadley April 21, 2024
2 Healthcare Debate Paper Healthcare has always been a topic of debate. Due to the many aspects of healthcare, there is always room for argument. While there are many topics to discuss, for the purpose of this paper the debate about whether health insurance should cover dentistry will be written about. Treatments covered by health insurance are usually what we categorize as “medical” treatments. Health insurance covers the body from head to toe, although many medical insurances do not cover dentistry or ophthalmology within their different policies. With respect to this paper, we will be discussing the issue of dentistry. Now, if health insurance policies are supposed to cover a person head to toe, then why would the teeth be excluded? A logical concept that I would like to touch on is affordability. In my opinion, it would be logical for health insurance to include dentistry. Dentists are doctors of the teeth. Dental insurance should not be its own entity and even if it should stay its own entity then it should be included with a standard health insurance policy. Including dentistry in standard health insurance plans would not only create an upward curve of adults with healthier mouths, but it would also significantly reduce healthcare costs. According to Forbes, the average dental insurance plan costs $47/month, while this may not seem like much to a person of a higher socioeconomic status, this may be considered a luxury and unaffordable for others. On top of paying monthly for a dental plan, routine teeth cleaning can average between $20-$100 depending on the level of cleaning needed. According to the CDC, 29% of people in the United States overall cannot afford dental insurance and do not have it (Disparities in Oral Health, 2021). When it came to older adults the number was higher, standing at 62%. This is because routine dental care is not covered in traditional Medicare plans (Disparities in Oral Health, 2021). While many Americans have access and can afford dental care “among working-age US adults, over 40% of low-income and
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