A Washington state dentist has announced that she will run for the state House of Representatives in the November 2014 election.
Republican Michelle Downey Caldier, DDS, will run for the 26th District seat held by Democrat Larry Seaquist (D-Gig Harbor), according to a portrichardindenpendent.com story.
Dr. Caldier owns Golden Age Dentistry in Kenmore, which provides dental services to the elderly in nursing homes around Puget Sound. She successfully lobbied to restore adult dental Medicaid benefits that were cut in 2010; the coverage will resume in January.
Dr. Caldier cited the paperwork and regulations of Medicaid as the main reasons why many dentists don't accept Medicaid patients, leaving poor patients with less access to care.
Dr. Caldier, an affiliate professor at her alma mater, the University of Washington School of Dentistry, also cited her concern for the mounting debt costs of dental graduates.
She has also served as chair of the Access to Care Committee of the Washington State Dental Association.
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