In next year's budget, U.S. President Barack Obama has proposed spending more to bring dentists to underserved people, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced May 7.
Obama recommends doubling the budget of the State Oral Workforce Program from $10 million to $20 million, which makes grants to states to attract dentists in places where they are lacking, according to HHS spokesman David Bowman.
In addition, Obama has asked for $169 million -- $34 million more than last year -- for the National Health Service Corps, which provides loan repayments and scholarships for medical doctors and dentists who agree to serve underserved people, Bowman said.
The president's budget includes more than $4 billion -- a $454 million hike -- for the Indian Health Service.
Obama also envisions an increase from $13 million to $15 million in dental services for HIV-infected patients and an increase from $48 million to $56 million for training in primary care medicine and dentistry.
The increases come on top of one-time allocations included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the stimulus package, that went to dental care. That included $2 billion for public health centers, many of which offer dental care, and $300 million for the National Health Service Corps.
The 2010 budget establishes a healthcare reserve fund of $635 billion over 10 years to finance health reform that "brings down costs, improves quality, and assures coverage for all Americans," according to a press release. The reserve would be funded by new revenue and by clamping down on waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid.
Obama's proposed budget now goes to Congress, which will use it as a starting point for its own budget deliberations over the next several months.
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