In a bid to control their Medicaid budgets, the States have cynically reduced access to dental care by holding the reimbursement level at or below the cost of providing the dental services — Thus perpetuating the dental double-standard.

In response to the realities of dental economics, more dental schools have gone out of business than new ones have opened during the last 15 years.

In the 1960’s and 1970’s the government subsidized medical education in an effort to flood the marketplace with physicians. However, economists were surprised to discover that most physicians had found ways to make avery good living. The failed policy actually caused an explosion in medical costs instead of cutthroat competition among the MDs.

Congress can open the Purse to expand the Alaska dental nurse program into the continental US but you can be sure they won’t be opening their mouths in those clinics on Capitol Hill.

It’s the kind of problem that begs the question of the next President: “What would Milton Friedman do?”