Cost of dental care soaring in California
New figures have confirmed that the cost of dental care in California is soaring.
The latest figures from the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research showed that dental bills cost an average of $813 per person in 2007, which is considerably higher than the national average, which was $643 per patient.
Unsurprisingly, as a result of rising costs, an increasingly large number of people in California are struggling to afford dental care and many people are cancelling or postponing dental appointments. The demand for free clinics and events is also increasing.
The research carried out by the AHQR also found that almost half the cost of dental treatment was paid out of pocket; this figure was considerably higher than other forms of healthcare and suggests that a large proportion of people do not have ready cash available for dental treatment. The study also showed that insurance played a part and there were significant regional variations in the proportion of people covered by dental insurance; in Florida, only 27.5 percent of dental bills were covered by insurance, in comparison to Ohio, where 48.5 percent of bills were covered by insurance.
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