CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

IndependentSecond Degree Amendment · S.Amdt. 2435· Senate(119-SAMDT-2435)

To cut the price of prescription drugs under Medicare in half and expand Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing.

Rep. Sanders
Age: 85 years
Vermont
Introduced
6/29/2025
Last activity
7/1/2025 — Amendment SA 2435, under the order of 7/1/2025, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 47 - 53. Record Vote Number: 362.
Sponsored by
Bernie Sanders
Cosponsors
None
Changes amendment
119-SAMDT-2360
On the bill
119-HR-1 — One Big Beautiful Bill Act
  1. Introduced
  2. Failed

What this amendment would do

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Sanders, aims to expand Medicare coverage to include dental, hearing, and vision care and to improve the Medicare drug price negotiation program.

Expansion of Healthcare Coverage

  • Dental and Oral Health Care: Adds coverage for preventive and screening services (exams, cleanings, x-rays, fluoride), procedures and treatment (fillings, crowns, root canals, extractions), and dentures and implants. It excludes cosmetic services and certain previously permissible items.
  • Hearing Care: Adds coverage for hearing aid examination and treatment services (such as vestibular rehabilitation) starting January 1, 2027. It also includes coverage for hearing aids for individuals with moderately severe, severe, or profound hearing loss.
  • Vision Care: Adds coverage for routine eye examinations and one pair of conventional eyeglasses or contact lenses every two years starting January 1, 2027. It excludes deluxe eyeglasses and conventional reading glasses.

Drug Price Negotiation Improvements

  • Increased Drug Selection: Changes the number of negotiation-eligible drugs for 2028 and subsequent years to at least 50, and increases the definition of negotiation-eligible drugs to 125 for those years.
  • Price Ceilings: Introduces an "international maximum fair price" based on the highest price found in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom to help set the ceiling for the maximum fair price of drugs.

Implementation and Funding

  • Rural Access: Provides a 10 percent payment incentive for dental and oral health providers in health professional shortage areas.
  • Funding: Appropriates $900 million for dental care implementation, $370 million for hearing care, and $500 million for vision care.

What Congress actually voted on

One recorded vote has been taken on this amendment.

  • The Senate: a vote on a proposed change to the billAmendment Rejected 47–53

    A vote on one change, not on the bill. A bill can collect dozens of these, and losing one does not stop it.

    07/01/2025 · Roll call 362 · recorded as “On the Amendment S.Amdt. 2435 to S.Amdt. 2360 to H.R. 1 (No short title on file)”