Bill · S. 5091· Senate(119-S-5091)
Medicaid Dental Benefit Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 7/22/2026
- Last activity
- 7/22/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Sponsored by
- Angela Alsobrooks
- Cosponsors
- None
- 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
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+8
The bill expands Medicaid coverage to include essential dental and oral health services for adults.
Does this put more money into Medicaid, the health coverage for people on low incomes?+8
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?+7
The bill mandates Medicaid coverage for essential dental and oral health services such as dentures, implants, and emergency care for adults.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-1
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. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+8Good For People With Disabilities+6Good For Women+6Good For Hispanic Americans+5Good For Native Americans+5
- Healthcare
- Increases Medicaid Funding+8Improves Healthcare Access+7
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Disability Rights+5Improves Racial Equity+5
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Government Spending-1
- 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.