In the 118^th session of Congress, Democrats will remain in control of the U.S. Senate while Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives. The new year will bring with it new leadership for the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, the two congressional committees with primary jurisdiction over health policy and oral health issues.

The current Chair and Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the Health Subcommittee, are likely to switch leadership positions. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) will likely take the helm as Chair with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) taking the position of Ranking Member.

The Senate HELP Committee will likely see new leadership under Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as the current Chair, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), is expected to take on the position as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), the current Ranking Member, is retiring at the end of this year. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) will likely take his place as Ranking Member of the HELP Committee in January.

Senator Sanders remains the foremost Senate champion of ‘Medicare for all’, the far-reaching proposal to transform Medicare into a single-payer, national health insurance program that would provide everyone in the United States with comprehensive health care coverage. He is also a strong supporter of allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Both Medicare for all and drug negotiation technically fall under the jurisdiction of the Senate Finance Committee, but he is likely to use his role as Chair of the HELP Committee to promote these and other progressive health policies.

Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD has a strong reputation for working with leaders across the ideological spectrum to address the issues pertinent to general dentistry and oral health care in the United States. The AGD remains opposed to the expansion of Medicare to include dental benefits and will work with the incoming leaders of the relevant committees of jurisdiction to oppose its inclusion at every turn. Recent proposals to include dental benefits under Medicare do not address low-income seniors’ immediate oral health needs, could result in the setting of Medicare fee schedules that significantly undervalue dental services, and will likely diminish the overall quality of dental care.