Bernie Sanders is serving his third term in the U.S. Senate after winning re-election in 2018. His previous 16 years in the House of Representatives make him the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history.
Born in 1941 in Brooklyn, Sanders attended James Madison High School, Brooklyn College and the University of Chicago. After graduating in 1964, he moved to Vermont. In 1981, he was elected (by 10 votes) to the first of four terms as mayor of Burlington. Sanders lectured at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and at Hamilton College in upstate New York before his 1990 election as Vermont’s at-large member in Congress.
Millions of people today are unable to get the dental care they need. As a result, cavities, which are highly preventable, are the most common chronic disease of childhood, and one in four adults age 65 and older has lost all of their teeth. Untreated oral health conditions can lead to tooth loss, pain and infection, and contribute to an increased risk for serious medical conditions such as diabetes and poor birth outcomes.
As chairman of the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, Sen. Sanders issued a report outlining the Dental Crisis in America and held hearings in February 2012 and September 2013 on access to and the cost of dental care. To address the crisis and improve access to care, Sen. Sanders also introduced S.1522, the Comprehensive Dental Reform Act. This legislation, supported by dozens of organizations, extends comprehensive dental health insurance to millions of Americans and creates new places for people to seek care. In addition, the bill expands the number of dentists and dental professionals by investing in education and workforce development and funds new research in the area of oral health. He has also introduced legislation to create a pilot program for the provision of dental care to about 30,000 veterans across the country and allow the VA to provide restorative dental services to all veterans receiving dental care through the VA.
More than one out of four Americans does not have any dental insurance. Traditional Medicare does not cover dental services for seniors, the VA does not cover dental services for our veterans, and states can choose whether their Medicaid programs provide coverage for dental care for low-income adults, meaning that many low income Americans have no dental benefits or are able to access services. Only 20 percent of the nation's dentists provide care to people with Medicaid, making it extremely difficult for many low income families, seniors, and people with disabilities to find a dentist.