1.This Act may be cited as
the Deamonte Driver Dental Care Access
Improvement Act of 2008
.
2.The Congress finds as follows:
(1)The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reports that between the periods 1988 to 1994
and between 1994 and 2004, tooth decay increased 15 percent among toddlers and
preschoolers 2 to 5 years old.
(2)During the period
1999 to 2004, 28 percent of young children experienced cavities.
(3)Among 2 year olds
in the United States, 1-in-10 already have cavities, and by age 5 that figure
jumps to 2-in-5 children.
(4)Tooth decay is the
single most common childhood chronic disease, and it disproportionately affects
poor and minority children.
(5)Eighty percent of
dental decay occurs in just 25 percent of children.
(6)Parents are 3 times
more likely to report that their children’s dental needs are unmet, when
compared with general medical care needs.
(7)While 9,000,000 of
the children in this Nation do not have medical insurance, more than twice that
number—23,000,000—do not have dental insurance.
(8)One out of 20
middle-aged adults in the United States are missing all their teeth.
(9)More than 40
percent of low income adults have at least 1 untreated decayed tooth compared
to 16 percent of non-poor adults.
(10)Employed adults
lose more than 164,000,000 hours of work each year due to oral health problems
or dental visits.
(11)For every adult
19 years or older without medical insurance, there are 3 without dental
insurance.
(12)About 25 percent
of adults 60 years old and older no longer have any natural teeth. Having
missing teeth can affect nutrition, since people without teeth often prefer
soft, easily chewed foods.
3.Dental workforce
improvement
(a)Dentistry
Workforce Pilot ProgramTitle
VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 292 et seq.) is amended by
inserting after section 747 the following:
747A.Dentistry
Workforce Pilot Program
(a)The Secretary shall make grants to schools
of dentistry and hospitals with accredited training programs in pediatric
dentistry to increase the number of individuals who pursue academic programs in
pediatric dentistry or provide dental services to children.
(b)The Secretary may not make a grant to a school of dentistry
or a hospital under this section unless the school or hospital agrees to use
the grant to increase the number of individuals who provide dental care to
children by—
(1)establishing,
maintaining, or improving both pre- and post-doctoral academic programs in
pediatric dentistry;
(2)recruiting and
training dental students to pursue training in pediatric dentistry;
(3)strengthening
training in pediatric dentistry within advanced education in general dentistry
and general practice dentistry residencies in dentistry programs;
(4)recruiting and
training practicing dentists through continuing education programs in pediatric
dentistry;
(5)training
pediatricians to examine children’s mouths to conduct risk assessments and
apply fluoride varnish; or
(6)training dental
students, dentists, dental hygienists, and other dental professionals in dental
health disparities and community-based dental health care.
(c)Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment
of this section, and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall conduct an
evaluation of the activities funded through grants under this section and
submit a report to the Congress on the results of such evaluation.
(d)Authorization of
appropriationsTo carry out this section, there are authorized to
be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009
through
2014.
.
(b)Grants to
develop and implement pilot program to train allied dental health
professionalsTitle V of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 701, et seq.) is amended
by adding at the end the following new sections:
511.Grants to
develop and implement pilot program to train allied dental health
professionals
(a)Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
section, the Secretary shall award a grant to establish a pilot program to
increase access to dental care for underserved populations through the use of
new allied dental health professionals. In awarding the grant, the Secretary
shall consider pilot program applications that meet the following
criteria:
(1)The applicant
plans to evaluate 1 or more distinct allied dental professional models.
(2)The model is
structured such that the allied dental professionals work under the supervision
of a licensed dentist or dentists.
(3)The application
must include benchmarks reflecting the goal of increasing access to dental care
for underserved populations.
(4)The models tested
by the applicant must be structured to be replicable in other areas of the
country. The models tested must include strategies to maximize
cost-efficiency.
(b)The Secretary shall adjust funding for the pilot program
according to the training needs of the allied dental professionals and the
number of sites used for the pilot program.
(c)Not
later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this section, and biennially
thereafter, the Secretary shall conduct an evaluation of the activities funded
through grants under this section and submit a report to Congress on the
results of such evaluation.
(d)Authorization of
AppropriationsThere are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be
necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 through
2014.
.
4.
(a)Access to Dental
Care Pilot ProgramSubpart I
of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b et
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
330M.Access to
Dental Care Pilot Program
(a)The Secretary shall award grants to
Federally qualified health centers to expand and improve the provision of
dental services to medically underserved populations.
(b)The Secretary may not
make a grant to a Federally qualified health center under this section unless
the center agrees to use the grant to expand and improve the provision of
dental services to medically underserved populations by—
(1)recruiting
dentists, dental hygienists, or pediatric dentists;
(2)purchasing or
renting equipment for the provision of dental services;
(3)constructing and
expanding physical space for the provision of dental services;
(4)allowing
contractual relationships between Federally qualified health centers and
private dental providers to increase access to dental care for adults and
children; or
(5)establishing or
maintaining mobile dentistry and teledentistry activities.
(c)Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of
this section, and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall conduct an
evaluation of the activities funded through grants under this section and
submit a report to the Congress on the results of such evaluation.
(d)In
this section:
(1)The term
Federally qualified health center has the meaning given to such
term in section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1396d(l)(2)(B)).
(2)The term
pediatric dentist means an individual who has successfully
completed residency training from a pediatric dentistry program accredited by
the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
(e)Authorization of
appropriationsTo carry out this section, there are authorized to
be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009
through 2014.
330N.Early
childhood caries prevention and management demonstration grants
(a)The
Secretary is authorized to award grants to public or private entities to
develop, implement, and evaluate public health and clinical strategies to
prevent and manage early childhood caries.
(b)The Secretary shall make grants to eligible entities to
demonstrate the effectiveness of preventing and managing early childhood caries
by—
(1)developing
materials and methods for early detection, anticipatory guidance, primary
prevention, and disease suppression of early childhood caries;
(2)developing and
testing models of care delivery that engage nutritional, behavioral,
educational, and pharmacologic approaches in early childhood caries prevention
and control;
(3)training
dentists, physicians, and nurse practitioners in the medical and behavioral
management of early childhood caries;
(4)partnering with
Head Start, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC) established under section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966,
or other early childhood programs to engage families in positive oral health
behaviors and practices to reduce or eliminate early childhood caries;
or
(5)developing public
health strategies including public education, public policy, and public
programs targeting children under the age of 6 years at risk for early
childhood caries.
(c)Authorization
of appropriationsTo carry out this section, there are authorized
to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009
through
2014.
.
(b)
(1)Subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to business related credits) is amended
by inserting after section 45N the following new section:
45O.
(a)For purposes of section 38, the qualified dental services
credit determined under this subsection for any taxable year is an amount equal
to 15 percent of the qualified dental receipts of the taxpayer for such taxable
year.
(b)The
credit determined under subsection (a) with respect to any taxpayer for any
taxable year shall not exceed $5,000.
(c)Qualified
dental receiptsFor purposes of this section, the term
qualified dental receipts means any amount received as
compensation for providing dental services—
(1)under a State
plan under title XIX of the Social Security Act or under a State child health
plan under title XXI of such Act; or
(2)from an
individual who is not covered by a health insurance plan at the time such
services are
provided.
.
(2)
(A)Section 38(b) of
such Code is amended by striking plus
at the end of paragraph
(30), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (31) and inserting
, plus
, and by adding at the end the following:
(32)the qualified
dental services credit determined under section
45O(a).
.
(B)The table of
sections of such subpart is amended by inserting after the item relating to
section 45N the following new item:
Sec. 45O. Dental
services.
.
5.Public education
and awareness campaignSubpart
I of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b et
seq.) as amended by section 4, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
330O.Public
education and awareness campaign
(a)The Secretary, acting
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall
directly or through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to eligible
entities conduct, support, and promote a comprehensive public education and
awareness campaign on preventing, controlling, and ultimately eliminating early
childhood caries. The campaign shall target pregnant women, and parents and
caregivers of children under the age of 6 years.
(b)Authorization
of appropriationsThere is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2009 through
2013.
.
6.Access to dental
care under Medicaid and SCHIP
(a)Reporting
information on dental care for children
(1)Section
1902(a)(43)(D)(iii) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(43)(D)(iii))
is amended by inserting and other information relating to the provision
of dental services to such children described in section 2108(e)
after
receiving dental services,
.
(2)Section
2108 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397hh) is amended by adding at the
end the following new subsection:
(e)Information on
dental care for children
(1)Each annual report under subsection (a) shall include the
following information with respect to care and services described in section
1905(r)(3) provided to targeted low-income children enrolled in the State child
health plan under this title at any time during the year involved:
(A)The number of
enrolled children by age grouping used for reporting purposes under section
1902(a)(43).
(B)For children
within each such age grouping, information of the type contained in questions
12(a)–(c) of CMS Form 416 (that consists of the number of enrolled targeted low
income children who receive any, preventive, or restorative dental care under
the State plan).
(C)For the age
grouping that includes children 8 years of age, the number of such children who
have received a protective sealant on at least one permanent molar
tooth.
(2)Inclusion of
information on enrollees in managed care plansThe information
under paragraph (1) shall include information on children who are enrolled in
managed care plans and other private health plans and contracts with such plans
under this title shall provide for the reporting of such information by such
plans to the
State.
.
(b)Assessment of
adequacy of dental reimbursement rates for all eligible
beneficiariesNot later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall study and
report to Congress on the extent to which payment rates for dental services
provided to individuals who are eligible for medical assistance under State
Medicaid plans under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et
seq.) or child health assistance or other health benefits coverage under State
child health plans under title XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1397aa et
seq.)—
(1)are comparable to
the payment rates for such services established by private health insurance
issuers;
(2)are adequate to
compensate providers for the actual cost of providing such services; and
(3)in the case of
such services provided under State Medicaid plans, satisfy the requirement of
section 1902(a)(30)(A) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(30)(A)) to assure that
payments are consistent with efficiency, economy, and quality of care and are
sufficient to enlist enough providers so that care and services are available
under the plan at least to the extent that such care and services are available
to the general population in the geographic area.
7.Coordination and
report by the Secretary of Health and Human ServicesThe Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall coordinate with relevant government agencies to ensure the inclusion of
dental health prevention and promotion activities within existing prenatal and
maternal child health programs, and shall, not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, submit to Congress a report on the status of
such programs.