Several bills have been introduced to Congress this year to expand access to dental care and enhance insurance coverage.
Here are seven pieces of legislation to know:
1. The Protect Our Treatment for Enamel, Erosion and Tooth Health Act, or TEETH Act, was introduced earlier this month. The bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency to consult and publish research by independent and nonpartisan experts at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine when proposing new water fluoridation guidance.
2. House Republicans have begun working on a follow-up budget bill that seeks deeper cuts to Medicaid and new spending reductions in Medicare.
3. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks introduced the Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025 to require Medicare to cover various dental services, such as routine cleanings, exams, fillings, crowns, root canals, extractions and emergency care.
4. The Oral Health Products Inclusion Act was introduced Feb. 11 to increase access to oral care items that can be purchased with flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
5. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Lloyd Doggett introduced bicameral legislation to expand access to dental, hearing and vision care under Medicare. The bills would expand Medicare to cover dentures in addition to cleanings, X-rays, fillings and other procedures. S.939 was referred to the Committee on Finance, while HR 2045 was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
6. The Dental and Optometric Care Access Act was introduced in February to lower the cost of dental care. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
7. Rep. Julia Brownley reintroduced the Dental Care for Veterans Act to expand dental care eligibility for veterans. The bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on Health.
