Last Chance. Today. Take Immediate Action for a Dental Benefit in Medicare.

As many of you may have seen, the White House “Build Back Better” framework released today does not have Medicare oral health coverage included. This is not a “done deal” and we know that progressives and moderates want dental coverage for Medicare Part B to be included. We can change this if we speak up TODAY, as soon as possible. Please contact your members of Congress and activate your networks to do the same. We need to tell them loud and clear that they cannot drop Medicare dental coverage. It is much too needed, much too popular, and too big of an equity issue to go quietly.

Click here for email language you can use immediately to send your message, forward it to others, post on social media, and make noise right away. Thank you.

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD DO RIGHT NOW

1. EMAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

  • Make the case that constituents want Medicare Dental (key “why” messages)

    • Three-quarters of voters support Medicare dental coverage, and most hold Congress responsible for today’s lack of coverage
    • Poor oral health is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer
    • Older Americans should not have to go into debt to pay for critical medical care
    • American workers contribute to Medicare for decades; they deserve comprehensive coverage that improves health
    • Providing older Americans and people with disabilities with dental coverage helps them avoid bigger health problems later in life
    • Almost three quarters of voters would be upset if their dentist opposed Medicare dental coverage

  • Customize and send this letter to Congress to your Senators and Representative. Are you a dentist, dental hygienist, or clinician? Your voice matters! Use this provider email template to let your Congressional leaders know that you support a comprehensive dental benefit in Medicare Part B for ALL beneficiaries.

  • If you already know a staff person in your Member of Congress’ office, email that contact (e.g., someone you met with during a Hill Day). If you do not have an existing relationship, you can find the contact information for the Health Legislative Assistant or Correspondent using the Congressional Matrix. Here’s a User Guide to help you use the matrix.

2. POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA

  • Engage with your candidate on social media by posting directly to their Facebook or Twitter account.

  • Tweet to friends, family, and colleagues and ask them to spread the word through social media channels.

    See the suggested tweets, hashtags and graphics below.

  • Find and tag your member of Congress on social media.

3. SPREAD THE WORD & SHARE THIS TOOLKIT

  • Share this toolkit with your network, especially organizations that focus on issues impacting Medicare enrollees like your local Area Agency on Aging or Ombudsman.
  • Click here for an email template you can customize to spread the word.

RESOURCES

Sample Social Media Posts: UPDATED!

  • Three-quarters of American voters support including #dentalbenefits in Medicare. [Insert your @policymaker twitter handle] will you join them by passing a federal #budgetwithteeth?

  • [Insert your @policymaker twitter handle] Budget negotiations are full of difficult choices. With support from three-quarters of American voters, adding #dentalbenefits to Medicare Part B isn’t one of them.

  • We need a federal #budgetwithteeth that includes Medicare Part B #dentalbenefits. Oral health is critical to overall health. [Insert your @policymaker twitter handle] please support overall health and well-being!

  • American workers contribute to Medicare their entire working life. They deserve health care for their whole body. A #dentalbenefit in Medicare Part B ensures that. #MouthsinMedicare

  • Lack of #dentalcoverage in Medicare means older adults & people w/ disabilities are left unprotected from preventable disease. Congress, now is the time to act: add a #dentalbenefit in Part B.

  • Republican & Democrat voters agree #Medicare should include #dentalcoverage, and most hold Congress responsible

  • #Medicare #OralHealth coverage would mean that over 60M older adults & ppl with disabilities who rely on Medicare would not only be able to afford important #DentalCare, but would also see improvements in overall health & have lower #HealthCare costs.

  • The #COVID19 pandemic has shown us how important access to affordable #HealthCare is for the health of our nation’s families. Access to #DentalCare is no different. It’s time to ensure that families who rely on #Medicare can get the #OralHealth care they need.

Sample Social Media Graphics