Medicare should be expanded to include vision, dental and hearing benefits
In the early 1960s, when President John F. Kennedy was fruitlessly trying to get Congress to implement a plan to provide federal health insurance for America’s seniors, more than half of them did not have any coverage at all and were left to fend for themselves as medical costs inexorably climbed year after year.
It took the long coattails and legislative mastery of Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon Johnson, to get Medicare over the finish line. But despite broad congressional and public support, Medicare remained incomplete – when it became law in July 1965, it did not cover home health services, hospice care, individuals with long-term disabilities or prescription drugs. All of those have since been added. Lawmakers are now considering adding dental, vision and hearing coverage to Medicare as part of the budget reconciliation bill that is being fiercely debated on Capitol Hill, and is likely to be whittled down considerably from its initial $3.5 trillion price tag.
Whether it happens in the near term or at some point down the road, adding vision, dental and hearing to Medicare would make perfect sense. It would enhance the health and quality of life for seniors, and provide essential preventative care that would help lower Medicare expenditures over the long term.
Granted, many seniors have coverage for hearing, dental and vision through Medicare Advantage plans, but many come with coverage limits or leave seniors with exorbitant out-of-pocket costs. And Medicare covers some things related to hearing, dental and vision, such as balance exams, eyeglasses that are needed after cataract surgery or dental care that is deemed “medically necessary.” This means that millions of seniors on limited incomes are unable to afford very expensive services or products like root canals and caps or hearing aids. This can impede their ability to eat and fully participate in their communities. Several studies have linked hearing loss with cognitive decline, and injuries related to diminished vision can lead to broken bones and reduced mobility.
“All three types of coverage are critical to good health,” according to Mark Miller, a columnist for Reuters who specializes in issues surrounding retirement and aging. He also said that if hearing, dental and vision coverage became standard benefits, it would be “a game-changer for Medicare, and for seniors.”
If hearing, dental and vision coverage are added to Medicare, it would cost about $350 billion over 10 years, but consider that the United States spent three times that amount for its operation in Afghanistan over a 20-year span. And if Congress would add hearing, dental and vision benefits to Medicare, they will not have to fear a backlash from voters. It’s extremely popular across partisan lines, with one poll this summer showing 82% of Americans supporting it.
There are a lot of things that people would like to change about our patchy, inefficient and expensive health care system, and, ideally, hearing, dental and vision benefits would have been part of Medicare 56 years ago. There’s no better time than the present to correct that oversight.