[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 28, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9673-H9675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ACTION FOR DENTAL HEALTH ACT OF 2017
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in
the Senate amendment to the bill (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.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the Senate amendment is as follows:
Senate amendment:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the Action for Dental Health Act
of 2018.
SEC. 2. ORAL HEALTH EDUCATION.
(a) In General.--Section 399LL of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 280k) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``of Oral
Health Education Campaign'' after ``Establishment''; and
(B) by striking ``focused on oral healthcare prevention and
education'' and inserting ``focused on oral health
education'';
(2) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by striking ``campaign'' and inserting ``campaign under
subsection (a)''; and
(3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
``(c) Action for Dental Health Program.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services
Administration, may award grants, contracts, or cooperative
agreements to eligible entities to collaborate with State or
local public health officials, tribal health officials, oral
health professional organizations, and others, as
appropriate, to develop and implement initiatives to improve
oral health, including activities to prevent dental disease
and reduce barriers to the provision of dental services,
including--
``(A) through community-wide dental disease prevention
programs; and
``(B) by increasing public awareness and education related
to oral health and dental disease prevention.
``(2) Eligible entities.--To be eligible to receive a
grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this
subsection, an entity shall be--
``(A) a dental association;
``(B) a State or tribal health department or State or
tribal oral health program;
``(C) an accredited dental education, dental hygiene, or
postdoctoral dental education program; or
``(D) a non-profit community-based organization that
partners with public and private non-profit entities, such as
an academic institution, to facilitate the provision of
dental services to underserved populations.'';
(b) Technical Amendment.--Section 399LL-1(d) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280k-1(d)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``shall'' and inserting ``shall, as
practicable and appropriate,'' before ``utilize''; and
(2) by striking ``public education campaign'' and inserting
``oral health education campaign and action for dental health
program''.
(c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and
Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives, a report on the outcomes and effectiveness
of programs and activities conducted under sections 399LL and
399LL-1 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280k and
280k-1).
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS.
Section 340G of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
256g) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(5)--
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) the establishment or development of models for the
provision of dental services to children and adults, such as
dental homes, including for the elderly, blind, individuals
with disabilities, and individuals living in long-term care
facilities; and
``(E) the establishment of initiatives to reduce the use of
emergency departments by individuals who seek dental services
more appropriately delivered in a dental primary care
setting;''; and
(2) in subsection (f), by striking ``$25,000,000 for the 5-
fiscal year period beginning with fiscal year 2008'' and
inserting ``$13,903,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through
2023''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Burgess) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
[[Page H9674]]
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, we can all agree that good oral health is important for
all Americans: our children, our seniors, and our families in north
Texas and other neighborhoods across the Nation. It affects our ability
to speak, eat, and show emotions. Yet, good oral health remains an
unmet medical need for many Americans, particularly in rural or
underserved communities.
Increasing access to vital healthcare services like dental health is
a priority for many on the Energy and Commerce Committee. So I am
pleased that today the House is again considering H.R. 2422, the Action
for Dental Health Act of 2018, following recent action in the Senate.
This bill, introduced by Representatives Robin Kelly and Mike
Simpson, takes several steps to improve essential oral healthcare for
disadvantaged patients by breaking down barriers to care and giving
them the dental health treatment and disease prevention services they
need through existing Federal dollars.
Also, most of us are aware that poor oral health can raise the risk
of tooth decay, gum disease, and oral cancer. These oral diseases can
lead to pain and disability for millions of Americans.
It also costs taxpayers and employers billions of dollars each year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on
average, the Nation spends more than $124 billion per year on costs
related to dental care. More than $6 billion of productivity is lost
each year because employees miss work because of dental problems.
Poor oral health can even be linked to other chronic health
conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Many of these conditions
can be avoided by simple preventive measures, such as regular cleaning
and water fluoridation.
Dentists and dental specialists from Texas discussed similar concerns
with me during meetings in the district and here in Washington. H.R.
2422 aims to address these issues and has the support of several
national dental groups like the American Dental Association and the
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, to name two.
Specifically, the bill seeks to reauthorize activities for oral
health promotion and disease prevention at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. In many rural and underserved regions in Texas,
these activities would expand school-based dental sealant programs and
further support community water fluoridation.
{time} 1645
The bill also establishes an Action for Dental Health Program within
the Department of Health and Human Services to improve oral health
education and reduce barriers to oral healthcare by awarding grants,
contracts, or cooperative agreements to dental associations, health
departments, accredited dental education programs, or nonprofit,
community-based organizations.
These grants and agreements could be used by these eligible entities
to collaborate with State or local public health officials, Tribal
health officials, oral health professionals, or other appropriate
groups to support initiatives under the Action for Dental Health
Program.
Lastly, this legislation reauthorizes and expands a grant program
through the Health Resources and Services Administration for innovative
dental programs at over $13 million annually for fiscal years 2019
through 2023. These grants will help States increase their oral health
workforce and offer needed dental care in dental health professional
shortage areas.
Some of the eligible activities for States include establishing
dental homes, which refers to comprehensive oral healthcare, for
children and adults and creating initiatives to reduce the use of
emergency departments for dental services.
I believe targeting resources to facilitate the provision of dental
services to those in need in addition to improving oral health
education will help prevent dental diseases before they start. This
will ultimately reduce medical complications, emergency room visits,
and poor dental health outcomes in underserved communities, not only in
Texas but across the United States.
Benjamin Franklin once famously stated that ``an ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure.'' We can heed those famous words by passing
H.R. 2422 today and sending it to the President's desk. I urge all
Members to support this important and bipartisan legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I stand proudly in support of H.R. 2422, my bipartisan
Action for Dental Health Act. Since 2013, I have been working with my
colleagues to emphasize the importance of oral health, especially for
America's children and seniors.
Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease, five times
more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.
Furthermore, a child's oral health status is directly tied to their
academic achievement and school attendance. Likewise, poor oral health,
such as toothlessness or tooth decay, are potentially life-threatening
conditions for our grandmothers and grandfathers, and Medicare does not
cover dental health services.
Unfortunately, so many other Americans in between childhood and
elderly adulthood lack access to oral healthcare because of cost or a
lack of dentists in their area.
The Action for Dental Health bill starts to change this by making
oral healthcare more accessible for those in need without new Federal
spending. Once enacted, the Action for Dental Health Act will empower
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to deliver more and
better dental healthcare to underserved populations, especially urban
and rural communities, and increase education about the importance of
oral health. This legislation will strengthen the impact of existing
resources and services.
The goal of the Action for Dental Health Act is to reduce the number
of oral health emergency room visits, which are often costly, not
comprehensive, and only occur at late stages after causing other
negative health effects.
So, in the short and long term, this bill will save money for
patients and taxpayers.
Mr. Speaker, the Action for Dental Health Act is cosponsored by 83
Members of Congress and supported by the American Dental Association,
the National Dental Association, the American Dental Education
Association, and 39 other advocacy groups.
The bipartisan companion legislation was introduced in the U.S.
Senate by Senator Cory Booker as S. 3016. When originally debated in
February, it passed this House with 90 percent of Members voting
``yes.''
I am especially proud to have worked with Congressman Mike Simpson of
Idaho, one of a handful of dentists in Congress. I offer my deepest
thanks to him and his team. I thank him for his steadfast leadership,
expertise, and partnership.
In this time of a deeply divided Congress, I am glad that Congressman
Simpson and I could put forward a bipartisan bill that has won the
support of hundreds of our colleagues and field leaders. I look forward
to working with him on more bipartisan solutions to increase access to
healthcare, especially oral healthcare.
The Action for Dental Health Act is a prime example of how Congress
should work. Together, we developed the idea, consulted with experts in
the field, worked across the aisle on the legislative text, introduced
it, advanced it through the committee process, organized House and
Senate votes, amended the bill, and we now look to advance this
critical bill to President Trump's desk to make it law.
This is how Congress should work. We need to get back to this
cooperative process. Let us not delay making way for quality dental
health services for Americans in need.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote on the measure, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by
[[Page H9675]]
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) that the House suspend the rules
and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 2422.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the Senate amendment was concurred in.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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