Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1142
Sponsor: Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]
Introduced: 2003-05-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Case management
Child health
Commerce
Community health services
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Dental care
Dentistry
Dentists
Department of Health and Human Services
Disabled
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Executive reorganization
Families
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to child health services
Federal aid to education
Federal employees
Fringe benefits
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Health education
Health insurance
Health surveys
Higher education
Housing and Community Development
Indian children
Indian medical care
Labor and Employment
Medicaid
Medical education
Medical fees
Medical residents
Medical statistics
Medically uninsured
Mentally disabled
Minorities
Nonprofit organizations
Nursing
Performance measurement
Poor children
Preventive medicine
Public-private partnerships
Rural health
School health programs
Social Welfare
Surgery
Urban affairs
Urban education
Water Resources Development
Water fluoridation
Welfare waivers

Summary:
action_date: 2003-05-23
text: 
Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States to improve dental services to children enrolled in Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). 
 Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish a grant program to expand the availability of primary dental care services in medically underserved areas. Authorizes retention bonuses for eligible dental officers of the Indian Health Service. 
 
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of HRSA and the Director of the Indian Health Service, to establish demonstration projects to increase access to dental services for children in underserved areas.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) an oral health initiative to reduce disparities in oral health; and (2) Chief Dental Officers for Medicaid and SCHIP, HRSA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 
 
Requires the Director of the CDC to collect data on dental, craniofacial, and oral health. 
 
Requires the Secretary to identify populations at high risk for early childhood caries (tooth decay) and to develop prevention programs. 
 
Revises the eligibility requirements for the school-based dental sealant program to include Indian tribes. 
 
Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to States and Indian tribes to improve their basic capacity to improve the oral health of children and their families.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-05-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced:  CR S7139-7142)
action_date: 2003-05-23
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7137-7139)
action_date: 2003-05-23
text: Introduced in Senate