Opinion ID: 2994920
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Ill Legislative Bd. v. Surface Transp.

Text: Bd., 183 F.3d 606, 613 (7th Cir. 1999). The Secretary appears to concede that the statute is ambiguous on this point: he begins by arguing for the reasonableness of his articulated exceptions and the exclusion of Wood’s procedure. As described above, the statute delineates the type of dental services that can be covered under Part A, and does not indicate any exceptions to the exclusion from coverage under Part B./5 Because there are exceptions, Wood reasons, the statute must be ambiguous and the Secretary does not appear to view the exclusion as absolute. This is not an entirely outlandish argument. That a statute has several articulated exceptions does not necessarily mean it is ambiguous, but it does suggest the need for a possible concession on the part of the administrator of the statute as to ambiguity. The Secretary argues that the HCFA has interpreted the Medicare Act and its legislative history to allow for coverage of dental procedures in a few limited circumstances--and has not felt free to make further exceptions to the exclusion, even if it believes the added exceptions would not undermine Congress’ goals. The Secretary fails to explain why the existing exceptions, and not others, serve any express intent of Congress to exclude procedures such as Wood’s. We thus consider the statutory exclusion of dental coverage to be ambiguous, and consider whether the Secretary’s interpretation of the statute in the present case is reasonable.