Health News
The results show the challenges Kentucky adults who are lower income, uninsured or living in rural areas face in getting dental care, said the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which sponsors the poll with Interact for Health, formerly the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. ?Oral health is critical to overall health,? said Dr. Susan Zepeda, president of the foundation.
The poll, taken Oct. 25 through Nov. 26, found that 64.4 percent of Kentucky adults went to the dentist in the past year. Another 8.5 percent said they had been in the previous year, 10.4 percent said their last visit was three to five years ago, and 14.6 percent said it has been more than five years. Two percent of Kentuckians polled said they had never been to a dentist.
Among those who defines their overall health as very good or excellent, 73 percent had a dental visit in the previous year while only half of those who said their overall health is fair or poor said they did.
Dental insurance is relatively rare, so income is a major factor in seeing after oral health. Among Kentucky adults with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty threshold, making them eligible for Medicaid, 48 percent reported seeing a dentist in the past year. Among those with incomes more than double the threshold, the figure was 81 percent. Among those who said they had insurance, 70 percent reported a dental visit, while only 43 percent of the uninsured said they did.
Just over half (51%) of adults who live in Appalachian Kentucky visited a dentist in the past year compared to seven in ten (71%) of adults living outside Appalachia.
- Higher-income Kentuckians' Reported Health Keeps Declining; Reports From Those With Lower Incomes Go Up, Marginally
A statewide poll again finds that Kentuckians with higher incomes consider themselves in better health than those with lower incomes. The latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll, taken Oct. 8 through Nov. 6, found that 55 percent of Kentucky adults who are...
- Poll Illustrates How Having Insurance And Access To A Health Care Provider Doesn't Mean You Can Afford The Care
Just because a person has appropriate access to a health care provider doesn't mean they can afford to pay for their services, according to the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll. The poll found that three out of every four Kentuckians with health...
- Economic Upturn Boosts Share Of Kentuckians On Employer-based Health Coverage; Health Reform Boosts Number On Public Plans
Half of Kentucky's working-age adults now get health insurance through their employers, up from 37 percent two years ago, reversing a downward trend that began with the Great Recession. Meanwhile, under federal health reform, many more Kentuckians...
- Poll Shows Health Care Costs Are A Burden For Many Kentuckians
A recent statewide survey shows health-care costs are a burden for many Kentuckians, especially for those who are poor and don't have insurance and put off getting care they need because they can't afford it. More than 60 percent of Kentucky adults...
- 28% Of Ky. Adults 18-64 Say They Lack Health Coverage; 41% Lacked It Sometime In Last Year; Employer Coverage Down Since '08
Nearly three in 10 working-age adults in Kentucky are not covered by any form of health insurance, and the number who get health insurance from their employer, or their spouse?s employer, has plummeted since 2008, the first year of the Great Recession,...
Health News
One of every three Kentucky adults didn't see a dentist last year; key factors are overall health, insurance and income
More than a third of Kentucky adults say they didn't go to a dentist last year, and one in six said they hadn't in five years or more, according to the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll.
The results show the challenges Kentucky adults who are lower income, uninsured or living in rural areas face in getting dental care, said the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which sponsors the poll with Interact for Health, formerly the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. ?Oral health is critical to overall health,? said Dr. Susan Zepeda, president of the foundation.
The poll, taken Oct. 25 through Nov. 26, found that 64.4 percent of Kentucky adults went to the dentist in the past year. Another 8.5 percent said they had been in the previous year, 10.4 percent said their last visit was three to five years ago, and 14.6 percent said it has been more than five years. Two percent of Kentuckians polled said they had never been to a dentist.
Among those who defines their overall health as very good or excellent, 73 percent had a dental visit in the previous year while only half of those who said their overall health is fair or poor said they did.
Only 24 percent said their physician has asked about their oral or dental health. Those whose physicians did ask about their oral health (73%) were more likely to visit a dentist than those who were not asked (62%).
Dental insurance is relatively rare, so income is a major factor in seeing after oral health. Among Kentucky adults with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty threshold, making them eligible for Medicaid, 48 percent reported seeing a dentist in the past year. Among those with incomes more than double the threshold, the figure was 81 percent. Among those who said they had insurance, 70 percent reported a dental visit, while only 43 percent of the uninsured said they did.
Just over half (51%) of adults who live in Appalachian Kentucky visited a dentist in the past year compared to seven in ten (71%) of adults living outside Appalachia.
The poll surveyed a random sample of 1,551 adults from throughout Kentucky by telephone, including landlines and cell phones. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
- Higher-income Kentuckians' Reported Health Keeps Declining; Reports From Those With Lower Incomes Go Up, Marginally
A statewide poll again finds that Kentuckians with higher incomes consider themselves in better health than those with lower incomes. The latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll, taken Oct. 8 through Nov. 6, found that 55 percent of Kentucky adults who are...
- Poll Illustrates How Having Insurance And Access To A Health Care Provider Doesn't Mean You Can Afford The Care
Just because a person has appropriate access to a health care provider doesn't mean they can afford to pay for their services, according to the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll. The poll found that three out of every four Kentuckians with health...
- Economic Upturn Boosts Share Of Kentuckians On Employer-based Health Coverage; Health Reform Boosts Number On Public Plans
Half of Kentucky's working-age adults now get health insurance through their employers, up from 37 percent two years ago, reversing a downward trend that began with the Great Recession. Meanwhile, under federal health reform, many more Kentuckians...
- Poll Shows Health Care Costs Are A Burden For Many Kentuckians
A recent statewide survey shows health-care costs are a burden for many Kentuckians, especially for those who are poor and don't have insurance and put off getting care they need because they can't afford it. More than 60 percent of Kentucky adults...
- 28% Of Ky. Adults 18-64 Say They Lack Health Coverage; 41% Lacked It Sometime In Last Year; Employer Coverage Down Since '08
Nearly three in 10 working-age adults in Kentucky are not covered by any form of health insurance, and the number who get health insurance from their employer, or their spouse?s employer, has plummeted since 2008, the first year of the Great Recession,...