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
The Medicaid Dental Benefit Act of 2026 seeks to amend the Social Security Act to improve dental and oral health coverage for adults. It mandates coverage for specific dental and oral health services, including dentures, implants, and services to prevent disease or treat emergencies. The bill provides for an increased Federal medical assistance percentage to assist states and territories with these costs. Additionally, it establishes quality and equity measures for adult oral health. The legislation also requires the development of an oral health outreach and education program. Finally, it mandates reports to Congress regarding adult oral health status and access.
Yes· 3 of 9
- Scored +8
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill expands Medicaid coverage to include essential dental and oral health services for adults.
- Scored +8
Does this put more money into Medicaid, the health coverage for people on low incomes?
The bill increases the Federal medical assistance percentage to 100 percent for specific dental and oral health services for states and territories.
- Scored +7
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
The bill mandates Medicaid coverage for essential dental and oral health services such as dentures, implants, and emergency care for adults.
The opposite
- Scored -1
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The bill increases federal spending by raising the Federal medical assistance percentage to 100 percent for certain dental services.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Mandatory Dental Coverage for Adults: The bill requires Medicaid coverage for dental and oral health services, which includes dentures, implants, and services to prevent disease or treat emergencies (Section 2(a)(2)(B)).
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Financial Support for States and Territories: The bill increases the Federal medical assistance percentage to 100 percent for specific dental and oral health services for a 12-quarter period starting January 1, 2028 (Section 2(c)(1)(A)).
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Improved Health Quality Tracking: The Secretary is required to identify and publish a core set of health quality and equity measures for adults over age 21 (Section 3(a)(1)).
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Outreach and Education: The Secretary of Health and Human Services will develop a program to provide culturally competent and linguically appropriate information and education regarding oral health coverage and practices (Section 5).
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Addressing Health Disparities: States will be required to report on plans to identify, evaluate, and reduce health disparities based on factors like race, ethnicity, and disability status (Section 3(c)(1)(D)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Optional Coverage for Territories: While the bill provides support, the requirement to provide the listed care and services is optional for States other than the 50 States and the District of Columbia (Section 2(a)(1)(C)(i)).
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Exclusions from Increased Federal Funding: The increased Federal medical assistance percentage does not apply to additional items and services that states might choose to include or services that were already available through the state plan or Medicare cost-sharing (Section 2(c)(1)(2)).
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 households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill expands Medicaid coverage to include essential dental and oral health services for adults. Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — The bill emphasizes improving oral health care delivery for individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities. Would women be better off under this? — The bill provides for dental care follow-up after emergency visits during pregnancy and requires reporting on low-income women of childbearing age. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — The bill mandates the development of culturally competent and linguistically appropriate oral health outreach and education. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — The bill includes specific provisions to strengthen oral health care competencies for Alaskan Native and American Indian populations.
- Healthcare
- Does this put more money into Medicaid, the health coverage for people on low incomes? — The bill increases the Federal medical assistance percentage to 100 percent for specific dental and oral health services for states and territories. Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The bill mandates Medicaid coverage for essential dental and oral health services such as dentures, implants, and emergency care for adults.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this expand the rights of people with disabilities? — The bill includes mandates to address health disparities and improve access for individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities. Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The bill requires states to identify and reduce health disparities based on race and ethnicity through quality and equity measures.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The bill increases federal spending by raising the Federal medical assistance percentage to 100 percent for certain dental services.
- 7/22/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.