Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD)
Ensuring Kids Have Access to Medically Necessary Dental Care Act
A Democratic bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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," aims to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act. It seeks to prohibit states from establishing lifetime or annual limits on the dollar value of dental benefits for targeted low-income children and pregnant women under the Children's Health Insurance Program. Additionally, the bill changes certain dental coverage options from optional to required. It also prevents states from providing more favorable dental coverage or cost-sharing protections for children under dental-only supplemental coverage than those provided to children eligible for the full range of health assistance.
Yes· 3 of 7
- Scored +8
Would children be better off under this?
The bill specifically protects children by preventing states from imposing caps on the dollar value of their dental benefits.
- Scored +7
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill enhances the stability and extent of dental benefits for low-income children and pregnant women.
- Scored +7
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
By prohibiting lifetime and annual dollar limits on dental benefits, the bill ensures continuous access to medically necessary dental care 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 benefit caps: States will be prohibited from setting lifetime or annual dollar limits on dental benefits for targeted low-income children and pregnant women (Section 2, subsection a). This ensures that dental care is not cut off due to reaching a specific spending limit.
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Increased coverage requirements: The bill changes the language regarding dental-only supplemental coverage from an option a state "may waive" to a requirement that a state "shall waive" (Section 3, subsection a).
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Standardized dental protections: The bill prevents states from providing more favorable dental coverage or cost-saring protection to children under dental-only supplemental coverage than those provided to children receiving full child health assistance (Section 3, subsection a).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts are explicitly stated 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 specifically protects children by preventing states from imposing caps on the dollar value of their dental benefits. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill enhances the stability and extent of dental benefits for low-income children and pregnant women. Would women be better off under this? — The bill extends protections to low-income pregnant women by prohibiting limits on dental benefit values.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — By prohibiting lifetime and annual dollar limits on dental benefits, the bill ensures continuous access to medically necessary dental care for low-income children and pregnant women. Does this put more money into Medicaid, the health coverage for people on low incomes? — The bill expands the scope of dental coverage requirements under Title XXI, which governs Medicaid and CHIP, by prohibiting benefit limits. Does this strengthen the Affordable Care Act? — The bill enhances coverage protections for low-income families and pregnant women through program amendments.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — The bill reduces potential out-of-pocket burdens for low-income families by ensuring dental benefits are not capped by dollar value.
- 7/22/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Introduced in Senate