New Issue Brief Says Coloradans Facing More Barriers to Accessing Oral Healthcare

According to a new Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS) report, the number of Coloradans without dental insurance grew to 2.1 million in 2011 from 1.8 million in 2009 – a 17 percent increase from the 2008-2009 baseline survey. Over 2.5 times as many Coloradans were without dental insurance than were without health insurance in 2011 (829,000 uninsured Coloradans). The problem is even more pronounced among Hispanic Coloradans, the majority of whom (52.8%) reported that they lack dental insurance, an increase from 47.6% in 2008-2009.

The brief, A Growing Problem: Oral Health Coverage, Access and Usage in Colorado, is based on CHAS data from the 2011 CHAS. It shows that all Coloradans are facing more barriers to accessing oral health care, compared to 2008-2009 when the survey was last done. The brief also shows:

• Having dental insurance makes a significant difference in whether Coloradans seek dental care. Of Coloradans who had dental insurance, 76.9% visited a dental professional. Of those with no dental insurance, 44.5% visited a dental professional. 
• Hispanic Coloradans lack dental insurance at a higher rate (52.8%) than white (39.1%) and black (29.9%) Coloradans.
• Lower-income Coloradans lack dental insurance at a higher rate than those with higher incomes. In addition, uninsured Coloradans with low incomes did not seek dental care as often as uninsured Coloradans with higher incomes.
• Cost is the reason nearly one in four Coloradans (22.9%) did not get the dental care they needed, according to the 2011 CHAS. Even those with dental insurance do not always seek care because of cost. More than a third (36.6%) of Coloradans who did not get needed dental due to cost had dental insurance.