[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2422 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2422

To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve essential oral health 
care for low-income and other underserved individuals by breaking down 
               barriers to care, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2017

  Ms. Kelly of Illinois (for herself and Mr. Simpson) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve essential oral health 
care for low-income and other underserved individuals by breaking down 
               barriers to care, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Action for Dental Health Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) More than 181 million Americans will not visit a 
        dentist even though nearly half of people over 30 suffer from 
        some form of gum disease and nearly one in four children under 
        the age of five already have cavities.
            (2) Many volunteer dental projects sponsored by national, 
        State, and local dental societies provide free care now to 
        those most in need. Annually, dentists deliver an estimated 
        $2.6 billion in free and discounted care according to the 
        America's Dentists Care Foundation.
            (3) It is estimated that emergency department (ED) charges 
        for dental complaints totaled up to $2.1 billion in 2010. 
        Nearly 80 percent of the dental emergency room visits were 
        nonurgent and could have been seen in a dental office. Shifting 
        those ED visits to a dental office translates into potential 
        cost savings of up to $1.7 billion a year and offers the 
        possibility of establishing a ``dental home'' for these 
        individuals.
            (4) Seniors, especially those in nursing homes and long-
        term care facilities, often have special dental needs and 
        complicated medical histories that require consultation between 
        dentists and fellow medical professionals in providing an 
        interdisciplinary approach to their overall health needs.

SEC. 3. VOLUNTEER DENTAL PROJECTS AND ACTION FOR DENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM.

    Section 317M of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-14) 
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections 
        (g) and (h), respectively;
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d), the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(e) Grants To Support Volunteer Dental Projects.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may 
        award grants to or enter into contracts with eligible entities 
        to obtain portable or mobile dental equipment, and pay for 
        appropriate operational costs, for the provision of free dental 
        services to underserved populations that are delivered in a 
        manner consistent with State licensing laws.
            ``(2) Eligible entity.--In this subsection, the term 
        `eligible entity' includes a State or local dental association, 
        a State oral health program, a dental education, dental hygiene 
        education, or postdoctoral dental education program accredited 
        by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, or a community-based 
        organization that partners with an academic institution, that--
                    ``(A) is exempt from tax under section 501(c) of 
                the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
                    ``(B) offers a free dental services program for 
                underserved populations.
    ``(f) Action for Dental Health Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may 
        award grants to or enter into contracts with eligible entities 
        to collaborate with State, county, or local public officials 
        and other stakeholders to develop and implement initiatives to 
        accomplish any of the following goals:
                    ``(A) To improve oral health education and dental 
                disease prevention, including through community-wide 
                prevention programs, through the use of dental sealants 
                and fluoride varnish, and by increasing oral health 
                literacy.
                    ``(B) To make the health care delivery system 
                providing dental services more accessible and efficient 
                through the development and expansion of outreach 
                programs that will facilitate the establishment of 
                dental homes for children and adults, including for the 
                aged, blind, and disabled populations.
                    ``(C) To reduce geographic barriers, language 
                barriers, cultural barriers, and other similar barriers 
                to the provision of dental services.
                    ``(D) To help reduce the use of emergency 
                departments by individuals who seek dental services 
                more appropriately delivered in a dental primary care 
                setting.
                    ``(E) To facilitate the provision of dental care to 
                nursing home residents who are disproportionately 
                affected by the lack of dental care.
            ``(2) Eligible entity.--In this subsection, the term 
        `eligible entity' includes a State or local dental association; 
        a State oral health program; or a dental education, dental 
        hygiene, or postdoctoral dental education program accredited by 
        the Commission on Dental Accreditation, or a community-based 
        organization that partners with an academic institution, that--
                    ``(A) is exempt from tax under section 501(c) of 
                the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
                    ``(B) partners with public and private stakeholders 
                to facilitate the provision of dental services for 
                underserved populations.''; and
            (3) in subsection (h), as redesignated by paragraph (1), by 
        inserting ``and $18,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2018 
        through 2022'' after ``fiscal years 2001 through 2005''.
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