“Medicare and Dental Coverage: A Closer Look”

“Medicare and Dental Coverage: A Closer Look,” by Meredith Freed, Nancy Ochieng, Nolan Sroczynski, Anthony Damico, and Krutika Amin, Kaiser Family Foundation

Quote:

“Policymakers are now discussing options to make dental care more affordable by broadening dental coverage for people on Medicare. President Biden’s FY 2022 budget request includes as part of the President’s healthcare agenda “improving access to dental, hearing, and vision coverage in Medicare.” Senate Democrats recently announced an agreement to include Medicare expansions, including dental, vision, and hearing, as part of the budget reconciliation package, though details of the agreement have not yet been released. In 2019, the House of Representatives passed the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R.3) that would add a dental benefit to Medicare Part B, along with a vision and hearing benefit, in addition to provisions to reduce prescription drug costs. Earlier this year, Representative Doggett, joined by 76 members of the House of Representatives, introduced the Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act (H.R. 4311) which would cover these benefits under Medicare Part B.”

 

 

LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:

The closer Medicare gets to insolvency, the more politicians and analysts want to add to its benefits and costs.