Blog

By Stacey Auger, MPH, Policy Consultant, CareQuest InstituteFederal leaders have made steep cuts to Medicaid in the recent budget and spending bill, but one thing remains clear: Medicaid matters. And dental coverage matters — to individuals, families, local communities, and states. 

By Caroline Le, CareQuest Institute Public Policy Analyst, Kasey Wilson, MSW, Senior Policy Analyst, Dental Access Project, Community Catalyst, and Bailey Reavis, Senior Manager of Government Affiars, Families USA

By Kelly Schroeder, MS, RDH, Program Evaluation Specialist, CareQuest Institute Obtaining a license in dental hygiene or dentistry in more than one state has historically been quite challenging, especially for those who live near state borders or need to move to another state. 

For the past four years, Tirzah Weiskotten has been trying to help her 75-year-old father from more than 500 miles away. “I face a lot of challenges,” Weiskotten says. “Caregiving from far away is very different from living with him at home and seeing him day to day.” Her father was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and lives in Maine. Weiskotten lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and three young children. Even though she and her siblings try to visit their father as much as they can, she realized she needed help. 

Can someone transmit human papillomavirus (HPV) even if they don’t have any visible lesions or symptoms? Is it true that the HPV vaccine is not recommended for older adults because they may have already been infected? Do only girls need the HPV vaccine? 

By Danielle Apostolon, Value-Based Care Program Manager, and Christine Kanan, Implementation Health Transformation Senior Manager, at CareQuest Institute CareQuest Institute is working to transform the oral health system of the future into one that is accessible, equitable, and integrated — but none of that work would be possible without our Community Health Center (CHC) partners. 

By Melissa Burroughs, Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy at CareQuest Institute The reality is both stark and straightforward: People in the US are already facing an oral health crisis — and recent policy changes are likely to make it worse. 

By Caroline Le, CareQuest Institute Public Policy Analyst 

   By Matthew Steele, CareQuest Institute Director of State and Local Advocacy Government Affairs 

Victoria Neely noticed that her son Joshua was having some behavioral issues when he was in elementary school. She wasn’t sure why. When she took him to a pediatric dentist, they discovered a potential culprit: an abscessed tooth. “He was very combative in the dental chair,” Neely says. “But he was little enough that his dad could hold him.” Today, that’s not an option.