The cost of dental care is skyrocketing in the U.S., while the availability of care remains stagnant. A 2018 report shows that the ratio of people to dentists in Texas is 1,790:1, compared to a national ratio of 1,480:1. Thirty-five Texas counties do not have a single dentist, and there are 322 designated dental health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) across the state. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) projects that Texas’ dentist shortage will increase by 38% between 2012 and 2025.
Expanding government healthcare won’t help rural America
Pushing Medicaid expansion and Obamacare may be in vogue, but just because they’re trendy doesn’t mean expanding these programs is sound policy. Mississippi snagged headlines recently when its state House passed a Medicaid expansion bill. Members of both the Left and the Right lauded the move, while states such as Texas have drawn harsh criticism for resisting expanding the program. In...