Oral Health Provisions in U.S. Health Care Reform

Abstract

During 2009, both chambers of the U.S. Congress passed health care reform bills that contained a variety of provisions specific to oral health and dental care. In March 2010, the Senate version-the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (referred to as the Affordable Care Act [ACA])-was signed into law. The authors establish the context for ACA dental provisions by reviewing prior federal legislation pertaining to dental coverage. They analyze the final U.S. House and Senate health care reform bills for their oral health content and draw observations regarding congressional interest in oral health. The authors identify and describe more than 30 provisions of direct relevance to dentistry within the domains of insurance coverage, dental workforce, safety net, prevention and surveillance. Although the two bills differed in many details, both address oral health infrastructure and delivery of care, with particular attention to underserved child and adolescent populations. The oral health provisions in the health care reform bills evidenced strong congressional interest in oral health and dental care, with an emphasis on equitable care for children. Practice Implications. The effect of each congressional action on the future of dental practice will depend on how the provisions are regulated and implemented. The dental profession needs to recognize the strong and ongoing interest of lawmakers in oral health care and must maintain active engagement in the policymaking process.