**ICYMI**

About 43 percent of rural Americans already lack access to dental care, and poor oral health is linked to larger health problems, like heart disease. While Trump and Republicans have been relentless in their efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and make it harder for people to access health care, Democrats are fighting for a comprehensive system of primary health care that includes dental care and to protect the ACA’s essential health benefits like pediatric dental care.

Washington Post: Rural America has too few dentists — and too few patients who can pay

By Anne Kim

June 7, 2018

Lynnel Beauchesne’s dental office hugs a rural crossroads near Tunnelton, W.Va., population 336. Acres of empty farmland surround the weathered one-story white building; a couple of houses and a few barns are the only neighbors. But the parking lot is full. Some people have driven hours to see Beauchesne, the sole dentist within 30 miles. She estimates that she has as many as 8,000 patients. Before the office closes at 7 p.m., she and her two hygienists will see up to 50 of them, not counting emergencies.
 

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