Four bills have been introduced to Congress this year to expand access to dental care and enhance insurance coverage.
Here is where these bills currently stand:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
