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September 30, 2021
Lawmakers are split along party lines on a proposal to include dental coverage for all Medicare recipients included in Democrats’ $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.
Speaking at The Hill’s “Future of Medicare and Oral Health” event on Wednesday, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.) called dental care “a crucial part of health care” and “not a luxury.”
...Barragán, whose congressional district is among the poorest in the state, said that the Medicare Dental Benefit Act would improve quality of life for many of her constituents.
“We’re talking about a district that’s the fourth poorest in the state of California,” she said during Wednesday’s event, sponsored by CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. “We’re talking about the folks that really cannot afford a $400 bill, which is very easy to get if you see a dentist. This bill will be critically important for them to get access to dental coverage.”