Crain’s New York Business
One in 6 New Yorkers who needed dental care in the past year could not get it, according to a new study from SUNY Albany’s Center for Healthcare Workforce Studies.
That’s primarily because of the high cost of oral health care and widespread gaps in dental insurance coverage, according to the study, which analyzed state and national survey data from the American Association of Medical Colleges.
More than 11% of New Yorkers said they could not afford to go to the dentist. Roughly 10% lacked dental insurance, and of those who had coverage another 10% said they had trouble finding a dentist who accepted their plan.
Part of the problem is that private dental practices often do not accept Medicaid, forcing many low-income New Yorkers to seek care at overburdened safety net providers, explained Dr. Simona Surdu, co-director of SUNY Albany’s Oral Health Workforce Research Center and the lead researcher of the study…