"Last summer the Michigan legislature removed adult dental benefits from Medicaid. That means more than 690 thousand people in Michigan are without dental insurance.
One group is experimenting with different ways to provide dental care to the people most in need.
When someone's smile lights up a room, it can be an indicator of their health and overall wellbeing. The Center for Disease Control says poor dental health contributes to a variety of illnesses, and in more severe cases even death.
That's what happened to Blanche LaVire.
She was a 76 year old woman who died last November in a group home near Alpena. She had infected abscesses in her mouth and needed of oral surgery. The trouble was she relied on Medicaid for her health care and months earlier, Michigan cut funding for all adult dental benefits in an effort to save money.
For many developmentally disabled people like LaVire, Medicaid was their only option for dental coverage."
www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/news.newsmain/article/0/1/1655074/Michigan.News/Medicaid.Cuts.Mean.Nothing.To.Smile.At
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