"Dentist Shortage in 12 States"

If you believe this headline which appeared in "Dentist's Money Digest" (a publication that I never heard of) then I have an oversold bridge in Brooklyn that I can offer you. New York, which was one of the 12 dentist shortage states listed has 58 dentists per 100,000 citizens. In fact, Long Island has 106 dentists per 100,000, the highest in the State.

So what does this mean?

We do not have a  dentist SHORTAGE problem but an ACCESS to dental care problem. The less fortunate in our society do not have access to great medical care, dental care, great schools or safe neighborhoods...This is nothing new and should not be the a headline in a 'journal.'

So why do we have an access to dental care problem?

NYU Dental School charges dental students $125,000 a year for education. For anyone counting, that means that a young dentist has a 'Ferrari payment' of $3,000-$4,000 a month as a student loan. Medicaid pays a very small percentage of a dentists usual fee and therefore it is virtually impossible to provide care for those on Medicaid except in a government sponsored health care facility where physicians and dentists are on a salary.

As I have explained to you before, the surgical fee for my reverse shoulder replacement was $16,500. MEDICARE (not Medicaid) paid my surgeon $1425. While older folks have ACCESS to medical care, they lack ACCESS to the finest physicians and surgeons because the government will not pay their fees.

We don't have a shortage problem and we don't have an access problem but rather a 'don't want to pay problem.' Government....both Medicare and Medicaid does not want to pay those providing care.

Something to think about.