Nanette Barragán (D-CA)
Ensuring Kids Have Access to Medically Necessary Dental Care Act
A Democratic bill with 17 Democratic cosponsors · See all 17 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, titled the "Ensuring Kids Have Access to Medically Necessary Dental Care Act," seeks to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act. It aims to prohibit states from establishing lifetime or annual limits on the dollar value of dental benefits for targeted low-income children. Additionally, the bill extends these protections to low-income pregnant women in states that provide pregnancy-related assistance. The legislation also changes the nature of dental-only supplemental coverage under the Children's Health Insurance Program from an option to a requirement. These changes are scheduled to take effect six months after the Act is enacted.
Yes· 3 of 12
- Scored +8
Would children be better off under this?
The bill directly benefits children by prohibiting annual or lifetime limits on their dental benefits.
- Scored +7
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
Low-income households benefit from guaranteed dental coverage without restrictive financial caps.
- Scored +7
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
The bill improves healthcare access by prohibiting dollar value limits on dental services for low-income children and pregnant women.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Removal of financial caps on dental care: By prohibiting lifetime or annual limits on the dollar value of benefits, states cannot restrict how much dental coverage a targeted low-income child can receive (Section 2 of the bill).
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Support for pregnant women: The bill extends the prohibition of benefit limits to include targeted low-income pregnant women in states that elect to provide pregnancy-related assistance (Section 2 of the bill).
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Mandatory supplemental coverage: The bill changes the requirement for states to offer dental-only supplemental coverage, moving it from an optional action to a mandatory one (Section 3 of the bill).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would children be better off under this? — The bill directly benefits children by prohibiting annual or lifetime limits on their dental benefits. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Low-income households benefit from guaranteed dental coverage without restrictive financial caps. Would women be better off under this? — The bill benefits women by extending dental coverage protections to low-income pregnant women. Would Black Americans be better off under this? — The bill may reduce health disparities for Black Americans who are more likely to be among the low-income populations served by CHIP. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — The bill may reduce health disparities for Hispanic Americans who are more likely to be among the low-income populations served by CHIP. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — The bill may reduce health disparities for Native Americans who are among the low-income populations served by CHIP. Would Asian Americans be better off under this? — The bill may reduce health disparities for Asian Americans who are among the low-income populations served by CHIP. Would white Americans be better off under this? — The bill may reduce health disparities for White Americans who are among the low-income populations served by CHIP.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The bill improves healthcare access by prohibiting dollar value limits on dental services for low-income children and pregnant women. Does this put more money into Medicaid, the health coverage for people on low incomes? — The bill increases Medicaid-related spending by mandating dental-only supplemental coverage and prohibiting benefit limits for children and pregnant women.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — By expanding dental coverage for low-income populations, the bill may help reduce health disparities that disproportionately affect minority communities. Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Providing essential dental care without financial limits helps reduce the out-of-pocket medical burdens on low-income families.
- 9/2/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 8/31/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 8/3/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/22/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 13 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Alma AdamsDemocrat · North Carolina
Steve CohenDemocrat · Tennessee
Judy ChuDemocrat · California
Salud CarbajalDemocrat · California
Angie CraigDemocrat · Minnesota
Danny DavisDemocrat · Illinois
Lloyd DoggettDemocrat · Texas
Jesús GarcíaDemocrat · Illinois
Adelita GrijalvaDemocrat · Arizona
Chrissy HoulahanDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Sarah McBrideDemocrat · Delaware
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Deborah RossDemocrat · North Carolina
Emily RandallDemocrat · Washington
Rashida TlaibDemocrat · Michigan
Shri ThanedarDemocrat · Michigan
Frederica WilsonDemocrat · Florida