The two oral health bills passed in U.S. Congressional committees so far differ in important ways, according to the Children's Dental Health Project (CDHP), which last week published a side-by-side comparison of the two pieces of legislation.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions passed a healthcare reform bill in July, as did a collaborative of three committees of the House of Representatives. More bills are expected from other committees of both houses, and the existing bills may be amended.
Both bills filed so far require nearly all Americans to have health insurance, offer subsidies to those having trouble paying for it, and require insurance companies to accept most applicants. Both would include children's dental among the required benefits.
The House bill also describes "premium" plans that would include adult dental benefits, while the Senate bill does not. The Senate bill, on the other hand, includes measures to monitor dental public health and study caries management and school-based sealant programs. These measures are absent in the House version.
The House version would create a permanent committee to evaluate "oral health professionals," making dental students eligible for various scholarships and loan reimbursement. The Senate version would set up demonstration projects for "alternative" dental providers such as dental therapists or advanced hygienists.
The CDHP faults both bills for not including an oral health professional in the advisory committees that would govern the benefits insurers must offer.
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