Roger Marshall: “Senator Sanders and I discussed this vision of what primary care looks like in the future, making sure we are meeting…”

“Senator Sanders and I discussed this vision of what primary care looks like in the future, making sure we are meeting patients where they are. Some of our community health centers back home are bringing in the food bank; they are bringing in the WIC Programs, social services, basic mammography. We lose track of the patients when we have to say: Come back in a month for your mammogram. Instead, it is a great thing to say: Let's get it done today. One of the biggest underserved areas of medicine is dental. I know that one of Senator Sanders' visions, specifically, in this legislation is to address the dental crisis. As an obstetrician myself, the only known cause of preterm labor is poor dental health, caries, cavities, whatever you want to call it. There are lots of links to having cavities and poor gum health to having heart attacks as well. It is a way underrecognized challenge for primary care. I can't tell you how many times I have been called at 10 at night or 2 in the morning on a Saturday with one of my OB patients who is obviously very pregnant, but she has a cavity, and now, it turned into an abscess. I can't get her into a dentist. I call all my buddies. It is Saturday, 10 p.m., and all my buddies, the dentists, are gone. Share your vision on dental and how this bill impacts that. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.”