Comprehensive Dental Reform Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-570
Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Introduced: 2015-02-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Child health
Congressional oversight
Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Dental care
Department of Health and Human Services
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Government information and archives
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Health technology, devices, supplies
Indian social and development programs
Medicaid
Medical education
Medical research
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Medicare
Military medicine
Minority health
National Guard and reserves
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Research administration and funding
Rural conditions and development
Student aid and college costs
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-25
text: 

Comprehensive Dental Reform Act of 2015

 
Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to cover oral health services. 
 
Increases the federal medical assistance percentage for oral health services, thereby increasing payments to states under Medicaid.
 
Directs the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to maintain a database of dental benefits available to adult Medicaid enrollees in each state.
 
Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish, revise, and extend funding for grant programs for:
 
 
educating nondental professionals about oral health care;
 
providing dental services in hospital emergency rooms or in community settings;
 
providing scholarships and education loans for oral health professional students;
 
providing oral health services to low-income and underserved individuals;
 
building, operating, or expanding dental clinics in schools; and
 
providing mobile, comprehensive dental services at locations that serve individuals who qualify for benefits under specified programs.
 
 
 Authorizes community based dental residencies.
 
Authorizes specified agencies to conduct research on oral health issues through FY2019.
 
Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to make oral health services an essential health benefit.
 

Removes restrictions on the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide dental care to veterans (thereby requiring dental care on the same basis as other VA-provided medical care and services).
 
Authorizes the VA, Department of Defense, Bureau of Prisons, and Indian Health Service to carry out demonstration programs to train and employ alternative dental health care providers in order to increase access to dental services.
 
 
Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the expansion of dental service coverage pursuant to this Act.
 
Directs the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the implementation and utilization of expanded dental service coverage under this Act and the demonstration programs authorized by this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-02-25
text: Introduced in Senate