Hedge funds. A French chateau and a Bentley. Medicaid coverage for orthodontia. What a recipe for intrigue and unethical shenanigans. Really?
Came upon a posting from Dallas/Ft. Worth news station WFAA titled: Tax money for unneeded braces goes to hedge funds. Gotta read that.
Here are the highlights: Texas offers very generous Medicaid coverage for orthodontics. GOOD. Dental practices are being bought up by hedge funds and collecting millions by aggressively promoting "Medicaid braces." BAD. No good deed goes unpunished. One bad apple (or a few) spoil the whole bunch. Whatever platitude you apply, this is just another example of good old-fashioned greed.
The tone of the report, however, seems to blame Texas as much as it does the practice-owning investors and participating dentists: "Medicaid is designed to provide health care for the poor. Braces, however, have little to do with improving childrens' health, many dentists say, and the money could be better spent on more critical dental care."
I contacted the AAO to get the organization's perspective. Here's the response from AAO president Michael B. Rogers, DDS.
The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) joins the American Dental Association in supporting access to primary and preventive dental care, because good dental health is vital to overall health and well-being. The AAO hopes that the State of Texas continues to provide funding for orthodontic care where there is need, particularly among young people with craniofacial anomalies and debilitating malocclusion. Straighter teeth allow for easier cleaning; unresolved jaw discrepancies may lead to significant functional problems. While orthodontic care often results in a pleasing appearance, its purpose is to provide patients with good occlusion to facilitate good function. The AAO believes that decisions about where to focus limited government resources are best left to individual states, which have the greatest understanding of their own situations as well as the unique needs and circumstances of the underserved within their states.
What do you think??