Ingrid Escalona puts on her lipstick without a mirror, rolling the pink pigment on perfectly. “You can’t let go of the glamour,” she advises with a wink. Ingrid is a 66-year-old retiree who came from Cuba in 1980 with her small son in tow. She worked hard for twenty years as a home health aide, certified to take care of elderly and disabled clients, while raising her two sons. To both her family and her clients, Ingrid has been a loving caregiver.
“I need to get two implants, but I would have to pay
six to seven thousand dollars,” Ingrid exclaims.
Today, though her Medicare HMO does provide limited dental coverage, she has trouble affording her dental care. “I need to get two implants, but I would have to pay six to seven thousand dollars,” Ingrid exclaims. That kind of financial burden is not feasible for an individual living on a fixed income who relies on Medicare. Without the implants, she is unable to chew properly, which affects her physical health. Ingrid and others on Medicare need access to comprehensive oral health care in order to thrive.
Read about the importance of adding an oral health benefit to Medicare
Florida Health Justice Project engages in comprehensive advocacy to expand health care access and promote health equity for vulnerable Floridians.
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