I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1055 
To improve access to oral health care for vulnerable and underserved 
populations. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 25, 2015 
Mr. CUMMINGS (for himself, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. RANGEL, and 
Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees 
on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Natural Resources, Veterans’ Affairs, 
and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To improve access to oral health care for vulnerable and 
underserved populations. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Comprehensive Dental 
Reform Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents of this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
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Sec. 3. Findings. 
TITLE I—MEDICARE AND MEDICAID 
Subtitle A—Medicare 
Sec. 101. Coverage of dental services under the Medicare program. 
Subtitle B—Medicaid 
Sec. 111. Coverage of dental services under the Medicaid program. 
TITLE II—PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS 
Subtitle A—National Health Service Corps 
Sec. 201. National Health Service Corps. 
Sec. 202. Community based dental residencies. 
Subtitle B—Oral Health Education 
Sec. 211. Authorization of appropriations for oral health education for medical 
providers. 
Sec. 212. Oral health education for other non-health professionals. 
Sec. 213. Dental education. 
Sec. 214. Oral health professional student loans. 
Subtitle C—Other Oral Health Programs 
Sec. 221. Access points. 
Sec. 222. Dental clinics in schools. 
Sec. 223. Emergency room care coordination. 
Sec. 224. Research funding. 
Sec. 225. Mobile and portable dental services. 
Subtitle D—Oral Health Services as an Essential Health Benefit 
Sec. 231. Oral health services as an essential health benefit. 
TITLE III—DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MATTERS 
Subtitle A—Department of Veterans Affairs Matters 
Sec. 301. Requirement that Secretary of Veterans Affairs furnish dental care 
in the same manner as any other medical service. 
Sec. 302. Demonstration program on training and employment of alternative 
dental health care providers for dental health care services for 
veterans in rural and other underserved communities. 
Subtitle B—Department of Defense Matters 
Sec. 311. Demonstration program on training and employment of alternative 
dental health care providers for dental health care services for 
members of the Armed Forces and dependents lacking ready 
access to such services. 
TITLE IV—FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS 
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Sec. 401. Demonstration program on training and employment of alternative 
dental health care providers for dental health care services for 
prisoners within the custody of the Bureau of Prisons. 
TITLE V—INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE 
Sec. 501. Demonstration program on training and employment of alternative 
dental health care providers for dental health care services 
under the Indian Health Service. 
TITLE VI—REPORTS TO CONGRESS 
Sec. 601. Reports on enrollment in coverage for oral health services. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) The United States must establish a nation-
wide and comprehensive approach to address the 
lack of access to needed dental care and reduce oral 
health disparities. 
(2) Since 2000, when the Surgeon General of 
the United States called dental disease a ‘‘silent epi-
demic’’, there has been increasing but still insuffi-
cient attention given to addressing oral health 
issues. 
(3) Dental caries, commonly known as cavities, 
are the most common chronic disease for children in 
the United States. Additionally, 25 percent of Amer-
ican adults who have attained 65 years of age have 
lost all of their teeth. 
(4) Untreated oral health problems contribute 
to an increased risk for serious medical conditions 
such as diabetes, hospital-acquired pneumonia, and 
poor birth outcomes. 
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(5) According to a report by the Surgeon Gen-
eral of the United States, students miss more than 
51,000,000 hours of school and employed adults lose 
more than 164,000,000 hours of work each year due 
to dental disease and dental visits. 
(6) More than 47,000,000 people live in a den-
tal Health Professional Shortage Area where the 
number of dentists for the population size is inad-
equate and people may face significant challenges in 
accessing oral health care. 
(7) While the lack of access to oral health serv-
ices is a national problem, those who are most likely 
to remain underserved are individuals with low in-
comes, racial and ethnic minorities, pregnant 
women, older adults, individuals with special needs, 
and individuals living in rural communities. 
(8) More than 1 in 4 Americans do not have 
dental health insurance which is far greater than the 
number of individuals who lack general health insur-
ance. 
(9) The Medicare program and the Department 
of Veterans Affairs do not provide dental coverage to 
the majority of their beneficiaries, and States can 
elect whether to provide dental coverage to adults 
under the Medicaid program. 
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(10) A minority of practicing dentists in the 
United States provide care to individuals enrolled in 
Medicaid, and a very small percentage of dentists 
devote a substantial part of their practice towards 
caring for individuals who are underserved. 
(11) The United States spends more than 
$111,000,000,000 on dental care every year. 
(12) Between 2008 and 2010, more than 
4,000,000 patients visited hospital emergency de-
partments for assistance with dental conditions, ac-
counting for 1 percent of all emergency room visits 
during such period and at a cost of $2,700,000,000. 
TITLE I—MEDICARE AND 
MEDICAID 
Subtitle A—Medicare 
SEC. 101. COVERAGE OF DENTAL SERVICES UNDER THE 
MEDICARE PROGRAM. 
(a) COVERAGE.—Section 1861(s)(2) of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(s)(2)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (EE), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon at the end; 
(2) in subparagraph (FF), by adding ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon at the end; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
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‘‘(GG) oral health services (as defined in sub-
section (iii));’’. 
(b) ORAL HEALTH SERVICES DEFINED.—Section 
1861(s) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(s)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘Oral Health Services 
‘‘(iii)(1) The term ‘oral health services’ means serv-
ices (as defined by the Secretary) that are necessary to 
prevent disease and promote oral health, restore oral 
structures to health and function, and treat emergency 
conditions. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), such term shall 
include mobile and portable oral health services (as de-
fined by the Secretary) that— 
‘‘(A) are provided for the purpose of over-
coming mobility, transportation, and access barriers 
for individuals; and 
‘‘(B) satisfy the standards and certification re-
quirements established under section 1902(a)(84)(B) 
for the State in which the services are provided.’’. 
(c) 
PAYMENT
AND
COINSURANCE.—Section 
1833(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395l(a)(1)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ before ‘‘(Z)’’; and 
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(2) by inserting before the semicolon at the end 
the following: ‘‘, and (AA) with respect to oral 
health services (as defined in section 1861(iii)), the 
amount paid shall be (i) in the case of such services 
that are preventive, 100 percent of the lesser of the 
actual charge for the services or the amount deter-
mined under the payment basis determined under 
section 1848, and (ii) in the case of all other such 
services, 80 percent of the lesser of the actual 
charge for the services or the amount determined 
under the payment basis determined under section 
1848’’. 
(d) PAYMENT UNDER PHYSICIAN FEE SCHEDULE.— 
Section 1848(j)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395w–4(j)(3)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(2)(GG),’’ after 
‘‘risk assessment),’’. 
(e) DENTURES.—Section 1861(s)(8) of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(s)(8)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(other than dental)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘(including dentures)’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘internal body’’. 
(f) REPEAL OF GROUND FOR EXCLUSION.—Section 
1862(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395y) is 
amended by striking paragraph (12). 
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