House Committees Vote to Advance Medicare Dental Benefits Expansion
The House Ways & Means Committee and the House Energy & Commerce Committee voted on September 10 and 15 to pass portions of the Democrats' $3.5 trillion "human infrastructure" Budget Reconciliation package, the Build Back Better Act. These two Committees included a proposal to expand Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing benefits in their portions of the package.
In the Ways & Means Committee, only one Democrat, Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), voted with Republican members in opposition to the expansion proposal. Many Republicans on the Committee expressed concerns with the proposal when it was brought up for comment, including Rep. Drew Ferguson, D.M.D. He criticized the fact that Democrats did not consult dentist members of Congress in crafting the provisions on the expansion of dental in Medicare.
In the Energy & Commerce Committee, two Democrats, Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), voted with Committee Republicans in opposition to the expansion proposal.
The expansion proposal would provide for a dental benefit under Medicare to begin in 2028. Participating provider payment amounts would be determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) based on existing fee schedules for TRICARE, the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, State Medicaid Programs, Medicare Advantage Plans, the VA, and other health care payers.
The House Budget Committee is now assembling the Budget Reconciliation package. The House Rules Committee will then consider it before it is brought to the House floor for a vote and eventually sent to the Senate. The timing of a floor vote is up in the air, as the House and Senate will be engaged in serious negotiations over what is ultimately included. Additional legislative deadlines, such as government funding and increasing the federal government's debt limit, also complicate lawmakers' schedules and may delay the Budget Reconciliation process.
Impact on General Dentistry: AGD submitted statements for the record to the House Ways & Means and the House Energy & Commerce Committees communicating the organization's opposition to Medicare dental benefits expansion. AGD appreciates the many members that responded to the action alert asking them to contact their members of Congress to urge them to oppose expansion. AGD hopes that policymakers will realize that these expansion proposals have the potential to undo and reverse decades of progress that dentistry has made in improving and preserving the oral health of our senior citizens.
Please take action and urge your Representatives and Senators to Oppose Medicare Expansion
In the Ways & Means Committee, only one Democrat, Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), voted with Republican members in opposition to the expansion proposal. Many Republicans on the Committee expressed concerns with the proposal when it was brought up for comment, including Rep. Drew Ferguson, D.M.D. He criticized the fact that Democrats did not consult dentist members of Congress in crafting the provisions on the expansion of dental in Medicare.
In the Energy & Commerce Committee, two Democrats, Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), voted with Committee Republicans in opposition to the expansion proposal.
The expansion proposal would provide for a dental benefit under Medicare to begin in 2028. Participating provider payment amounts would be determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) based on existing fee schedules for TRICARE, the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, State Medicaid Programs, Medicare Advantage Plans, the VA, and other health care payers.
The House Budget Committee is now assembling the Budget Reconciliation package. The House Rules Committee will then consider it before it is brought to the House floor for a vote and eventually sent to the Senate. The timing of a floor vote is up in the air, as the House and Senate will be engaged in serious negotiations over what is ultimately included. Additional legislative deadlines, such as government funding and increasing the federal government's debt limit, also complicate lawmakers' schedules and may delay the Budget Reconciliation process.
Impact on General Dentistry: AGD submitted statements for the record to the House Ways & Means and the House Energy & Commerce Committees communicating the organization's opposition to Medicare dental benefits expansion. AGD appreciates the many members that responded to the action alert asking them to contact their members of Congress to urge them to oppose expansion. AGD hopes that policymakers will realize that these expansion proposals have the potential to undo and reverse decades of progress that dentistry has made in improving and preserving the oral health of our senior citizens.
Please take action and urge your Representatives and Senators to Oppose Medicare Expansion