Make Dental Costs Transparent
Dental insurance is only applied after treatment, allowing dentists to charge you $500 for x-rays
What should your state do next?
Share ideas for the whole country or any of the 50 states and DC, vote the good ones up, and see what rises to the top.
Pick a board
26 ideas across 52 boards
Browse all 52 as a list
- USA 1
- Alabama 0
- Alaska 1
- Arizona 1
- Arkansas 0
- California 3
- Colorado 1
- Connecticut 0
- Delaware 0
- District of Columbia 1
- Florida 1
- Georgia 1
- Hawaii 1
- Idaho 0
- Illinois 1
- Indiana 0
- Iowa 0
- Kansas 0
- Kentucky 0
- Louisiana 1
- Maine 0
- Maryland 0
- Massachusetts 1
- Michigan 1
- Minnesota 1
- Mississippi 0
- Missouri 0
- Montana 0
- Nebraska 0
- Nevada 0
- New Hampshire 0
- New Jersey 0
- New Mexico 0
- New York 2
- North Carolina 1
- North Dakota 0
- Ohio 1
- Oklahoma 0
- Oregon 1
- Pennsylvania 1
- Rhode Island 0
- South Carolina 0
- South Dakota 0
- Tennessee 0
- Texas 2
- Utah 0
- Vermont 1
- Virginia 0
- Washington 1
- West Virginia 0
- Wisconsin 0
- Wyoming 0
Ideas from every board
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Plant shade trees along every school walking route
Kids walking to school in September face 100°F sidewalks. Drought-tolerant street trees on the main walking routes would cut sidewalk temperatures and make walking safer.
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Show live wait times for every DMV office online
Let people pick the least busy office before they leave home, the way many hospitals already show ER wait times.
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Map every public water fountain and bottle refill station
One statewide, open map, updated by cities and parks departments. In a Texas summer, knowing where to refill water matters.
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Text a number to find the nearest open storm shelter
During severe weather, websites go down and apps drain batteries. A simple text line that replies with the closest open shelter would work on any phone.
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Open public restrooms at the busiest transit stations
Clean, staffed restrooms at major stations would help commuters, tourists, older riders and parents with small kids.
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Publish pothole repair times by neighborhood
A public dashboard showing how long reported potholes take to fix in each neighborhood would show where crews are needed most.
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Put a backup generator at every senior center
After hurricanes, senior centers could double as cooling and charging stations for older residents if they had backup power.
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Give every fifth grader a library card automatically
Enroll students with their parents' consent through school, so no kid misses out on the library because nobody signed them up.
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Let farmers markets use empty storefronts in winter
Short, low-cost leases for vacant downtown shops would keep local growers selling year-round and bring foot traffic back to Main Street.
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Add covered bike racks at every public library
Many libraries have no safe place to lock a bike. Covered racks are cheap and make it easier for teenagers to get there on their own.
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Set up clean-air rooms for wildfire smoke days
Community centers with good air filters could open as clean-air spaces when smoke makes it unhealthy to be outside.
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Show trailhead parking availability online
Popular trailheads fill up by 7am. A simple live count of open spaces would save people the drive and reduce roadside parking.
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Shade every bus stop
Waiting 20 minutes in full sun in July is dangerous. Start with the stops that have the most riders and no cover.
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Let residents track lead pipe replacement on their street
A public map showing which service lines have been replaced, and when the rest are scheduled, would build trust in the program.
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Open school playgrounds to the public on weekends
Shared-use agreements let neighborhoods without parks use school playgrounds and fields when school is out.
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Clear snow from curb ramps and bus stops first
When curb ramps are buried, people using wheelchairs, strollers or walkers are stuck. Make them part of the first round of plowing.
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Hold a free winter gear swap in every school district
Families outgrow boots and coats every year. A swap each fall keeps good gear in use and kids warm.
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Put a bench at every bus stop
Older riders and people with disabilities often can't stand for a long wait. A bench is one of the cheapest ways to make transit easier to use.
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Host monthly fix-it clinics at public libraries
Volunteers help people repair lamps, bikes, clothes and small appliances instead of throwing them out.
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Add free reef-safe sunscreen dispensers at public beaches
Make the reef-friendly choice the easy choice for visitors and locals alike.
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Fund faster internet for rural libraries
For many villages the library is the only place to apply for jobs, see a doctor online or take a class.
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Raise emergency supply depots above flood level
Store water, food and medical supplies where floodwater can't reach them, close to the neighborhoods that flood most.
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Add more shaded seating at public parks
Benches under trees or shade sails make parks usable for older visitors and families on hot afternoons.