ProOrtho For Kids™
We continue to hear that
"Somebody should
do something about the
Texas Medicaid tragedy!"
Now is the time to BE THAT SOMEBODY!
To read more about this crisis, click here to download a PDF
of the original article as published in The Progressive Orthodontist
The Texas Medicaid Ortho debacle has been well publicized. State lawmakers, federal entities, HHS, TDA are all trying their best to cope but it's a terrible situation that has no clear answers or easy solutions as to who is responsible for what. The focus has been on assigning blame and though there is plenty to go around and this needs addressing, we are approaching the whole thing backwards.
We need to focus on the kids who are caught in the middle FIRST and then worry about what should have been done by whom. The most conservative estimates say there are 50,000 kids in Texas with braces on and no access to a provider. Those estimates go all the way up to 250,000! Having braces on without supervision is, in most cases, tantamount to guaranteeing tooth decay and gum disease.
FIRST THINGS FIRST - WE MUST get the braces off of kids who cannot get access to treatment. PERIOD. Somebody has to do something - and those somebodies are orthodontists. We are the experts in this area. Regardless of how many of these ill advised or questionable cases were started by non-specialists, we are the people who can come to the rescue for Texas' kids.
The state and national societies will not act quickly enough to help these children who are caught in this firestorm. We can no longer wait for these organizations - we need individuals of character to step forward and step up to the challenge.
ACTION PLAN:
Commit now, and beginning in January 2013, practices across Texas will open our doors to remove braces for kids who have been without care for over a year. Email Dr. Ben Burris at bgbdds@yahoo.com or call 870-926-5321 for information or to pledge your support, your time, and/or your office to help the kids. Change the conversation and show the world that responsible orthodontists will fill the void left by others and do what's right for the children of Texas!
BE SOMEBODY...
...who will HELP
...who will MAKE A DIFFERENCE
...who will GO FIRST
...who will TAKE A CHANCE
...who will MAKE A CHANGE!
