1.This Act may be cited as
the Oral Health Initiative Act of
2008
.
2.Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)The first-ever Surgeon General’s report on
oral health, released in May 2000, identified a silent epidemic
of dental and oral diseases that burdens some population groups, and calls for
a national partnership to provide opportunities for individuals, communities,
and the health professions to work together to maintain and improve the
nation's oral health.
(2)The Government Accountability Office has
determined that dental disease is a chronic problem among many low-income and
other vulnerable populations.
(3)The National Institutes of Health 2001
Consensus Development Conference on Diagnosis and Management of Dental Caries
Throughout Life found that dental decay is the most common chronic childhood
disease among children in the United States.
(4)Research in the American Journal of
Preventive Medicine determined that dental disease affects 1 in 5 children aged
2 to 4, half of those aged 6 to 8, and nearly three-fifths of 15 year
olds.
(5)Oral Health in America: A Report of
the Surgeon General
published in April 2002 found that tooth decay is 5
times more common than asthma among school age children.
(6)In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention estimated that 43 percent of black children have untreated tooth
decay in permanent teeth, and that children living in poverty suffer twice as
much tooth decay as middle and upper income children.
(7)The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
has reported that 80 percent of all dental problems are found in 25 percent of
children, primarily those from lower-income families.
(8)Researchers have
determined that preventive dental interventions, including early and routine
preventive care, fluoridation, and sealants are cost effective in reducing
disease and associated expenditures.
(9)A broad array of programs exists, totaling
more than $45,000,000 annually, excluding National Institutes of Health
research of $300,000,000 a year and Medicaid and SCHIP funding of
$4,700,000,000 a year, within several agencies of the Department of Health and
Human Services to address oral health needs, yet serious access problems remain
for underserved populations.
(10)The 110th Congress has recognized the
importance of dental care by adding a guaranteed dental benefit to the
Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007.
(11)The Senate Budget Resolution for fiscal
year 2009 supports funding for improved access to oral health care in the
United States.
3.It is the purpose of this Act to establish a
multi-faceted approach to improve access and eliminate disparities in oral
health care.
4.Oral health
working group
(a)Not
later than 60 days after the effective date of this Act, the Secretary of
Health and Human Services (referred to in this Act as the
Secretary
) shall establish within the Office of the Secretary an
Oral Health Working Group (referred to in this Act as the Group
)
to review the effectiveness of, and recommend improvements to, existing Federal
oral health programs, and develop programs to improve the oral health of, and
prevent dental disease in, children, Medicaid-eligible adults,
medically-compromised adults, and other vulnerable populations who are among
those Americans at highest risk of dental disease.
(b)The
Group shall be composed of a representative from each of the following:
(1)The Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality.
(2)The Bureau of
Primary Health Care.
(3)The Bureau of
Health Professions.
(4)The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
(5)The Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services.
(6)The HIV–AIDS
Bureau.
(7)The Indian Health
Service.
(8)The Maternal and
Child Health Bureau.
(9)The National
Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
(10)The Office of
Minority Health and Health Disparities.
(11)The Office of
Disability.
(12)The Office of
Head Start.
(13)Any other
offices or divisions as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(c)The
group shall—
(1)review existing
oral health programs and policies within the Department of Health and Human
Services, including—
(A)oral health
provider training programs;
(B)the availability
of access to oral health care under such programs (such as community health
center access);
(C)oral health
disease tracking trends; and
(D)oral health
research programs;
(2)identify
duplicative or overlapping oral health programs;
(3)identify
opportunities for new oral health programs;
(4)make
recommendations for the improved coordination of oral health programs;
(5)make
recommendations on spending for oral health care programs in each of the
agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services;
(6)evaluate the
adequacy of Federal support for State oral health programs;
(7)make
recommendations for improvements to the financing of oral health care;
(8)make
recommendations for monitoring and evaluating the quality of dental care
financed with Federal funds;
(9)identify efforts
to cost-effectively prevent and manage dental disease in low-income and
high-risk populations; and
(10)carry out any
other activities determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(d)
(1)The
Secretary shall establish an advisory panel to provide advice and
recommendations to the Group in carrying out subsection (d).
(2)The
advisory panel shall be composed of an appropriate number of individuals to be
appointed by the Secretary, and shall include—
(A)a dentist;
(B)a pediatric
dentist;
(C)a dental
educator;
(D)a State Medicaid
or State Children's Health Insurance Program dental director;
(E)a dentist who
serves as a State dental director;
(F)a dentist who
practices in a federally qualified health center;
(G)an allied dental
practitioner;
(H)a dental insurer;
and
(I)any other entity
determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(3)In
making appointments to the advisory panel under paragraph (2), the Secretary
shall ensure—
(A)a broad
geographic representation of members and a balance between urban and rural
members;
(B)that members are
appointed based on their competence, interest, and knowledge of the mission of
dentistry; and
(C)an adequate
representation of minorities.
(4)A
member of the advisory panel shall be appointed for a term of 2 years.
(5)A
vacancy on the advisory panel shall be filled in the manner in which the
original appointment was made and shall be subject to any conditions which
applied with respect to the original appointment. An individual appointed to
fill a vacancy shall be appointed for the unexpired term of the member being
replaced.
(6)The
advisory panel shall meet not less than 2 times each year. Such meetings shall
be held jointly with other meetings related to the oral health initiative under
this Act when appropriate.
(7)Each
member of the advisory panel shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the
Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each
day (including travel time) during which such member is engaged in the
performance of the duties of the panel.
(8)Members
of the advisory panel shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in
lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under
subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from
their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for
the panel.
(9)The
Federal Advisory Committee Act shall apply to the advisory panel under this
subsection only to the extent that the provisions of such Act do not conflict
with the requirements of this subsection.
(e)Not
later than December 31, 2010, and each December 31 thereafter, the Group shall
submit to the Secretary and the appropriate committees of Congress, a report
concerning the findings and recommendations of the Group under subsection
(c).
(f)Authorization
of appropriationsThere is authorized to be appropriated, such
sums as may be necessary in each fiscal year to carry out this Act.
5.This Act shall take
effect on February 1, 2009.