Two pieces of legislation introduced to Congress earlier this year could potentially improve dental care access for thousands of people if passed.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell introduced the Comprehensive Dental Care Reform Act of 2024 Sept. 17 as a companion to legislation previously introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders in May.
The bills would expand dental coverage under Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and the Veterans Affairs program. It would also enhance the dental workforce to increase accessibility in underserved areas and increase reimbursement rates for Medicaid dental services.
Melissa Burroughs, the director of policy at the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, told Becker's the bill is a "huge step forward" for enhancements to dental care in the U.S.
"It's been about 10 years since a bill like this has been introduced in the House, and this is a really major piece of legislation," she said. "It addresses major gaps in Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' care, ACA marketplace plans and more in terms of dental access. There are also a lot of good investments in things like improving the workforce and other ways to ensure people can actually get care."
Ms. Burroughs said the two bills being introduced shows the increased support behind issues related to dental care accessibility. A recent national poll from CareQuest showed that 92% of voters across the political spectrum support adding dental coverage to Medicare. They also support expanding dental benefits for veterans.
"We have really strong popularity [behind] all of the provisions in this bill. Seeing the fact that it's now been introduced in both chambers, and there's [more] co-sponsors on both sides, it is a nice commitment to addressing those issues, even if they have to be broken up and moved forward in other vehicles," she said.
She added that one way the bills could be improved is by adding provisions to support enhanced care for people with disabilities or maternal healthcare. However, the bills still hit major points that could have a large impact on dental care in the U.S.
"If [these bills] were to pass, I think you'd see a significant increase in patients being able to afford care, so there'd be a higher demand for care. It would also allow much more focus on prevention, getting people into the care they need early, rather than only showing up when there's an emergency," Ms. Burroughs said. "It would also expand and improve all the different ways that care could be delivered, ensuring that people who can't reach a dental office for various reasons can potentially reach some alternative models of care. The implications for access would be huge, and I think that would really grow the dental industry."