Monterey, CA Dental Care For The Poor Coming Back To California, Denti-Cal Returns In 2014 :

by Richard Kuehn on 07/18/13

View From A Nonprofit Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California One of the biggest requests Hands to Help Seniors has is from seniors that need dental work but can't afford to pay for it.  Unfortunately, Medi-Cal doesn't cover dental work at all, and many seniors put this off too long because of the high cost.  This can lead to other medical problems.  I was happy to read that one of the victims of our state budget cuts back in 2009, Denti-Cal, which gave dental insurance to 3 million poor Californians, is coming back.  Starting in May of 2014, the coverage will be partially restored thanks to our state budget numbers coming in better than expected.  Coverage will include X-rays, cleaning, routine exams, some root canals, crowns and full sets of dentures.  It will no longer cover partial dentures and some other procedures. Although it's sad that the Legislature only allocated $94 million to Denti-Cal rather than the $130 million that was needed to fully fund the program, we can't look a gift horse in the mouth. 

 

http://www.montereyherald.com/news/ci_23616211/denti-cal-return-2014

 

About Richard Kuehn & Hands to Help Seniors:

 

After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member, it became clear to me that there are many seniors that can't afford to pay for a private duty caregiver, not to mention medical expenses, food and property taxes on their home.  I decided to form a non-profit to help seniors with any service they might need to get by, should they be unable to afford this themselves.  From putting on a new roof to providing a hot meal, Hands to Help Seniors is there to help.  Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:

 

http://www.h2hs.org/news-and-media.html

 

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.