[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7793-S7794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Ms. Stabenow):
  S. 3166. A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to 
improve coverage of dental and oral health services for adults under 
Medicaid, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a 
tremendous toll on our Nation. Healthcare workers have valiantly served 
our communities throughout the crisis. Still, we face unprecedented 
challenges, and this moment calls for historic action.
  The pandemic laid bare the gaps in our healthcare system and 
magnified longstanding inequities. Health inequities have been eating 
away at our communities for many years, which is why I have fought for 
policies to reduce economic and social inequalities overall--in short, 
access to nutrition, education, and housing, and increased funding for 
social and mental health services.
  Earlier this year, Congress enacted some of those reforms in the 
American Rescue Plan Act, which is bringing much-needed help to 
Marylanders and Americans across the country. It was a strong 
investment to complement ongoing efforts to curtail the rapid spread of 
the virus, particularly as we grapple with more contagious variants, 
such as the Delta variant. Now, we have the opportunity to enhance that 
effort through the Build Back Better Act.
  Even with the significant investments in healthcare over the last 
year and a half, Americans are struggling to pay for their basic 
healthcare needs, like prescription medications and mental healthcare. 
Waiting lists for home- and community-based services so individuals can 
age in place with dignity are in the thousands or tens of thousands in 
States around the country. In my State of Maryland, over 30,000 seniors 
and individuals are waiting to get access to home- and community-based 
services.
  Now, we have the opportunity to make prescription drugs more 
affordable, expand access to home- and community-based services, extend 
enhanced financial support to individuals in the individual market, and 
permanently fund the Children's Health Insurance Program--CHIP.
  We have been working on these problems for years and, in some cases, 
for over a decade. Congress is long overdue in acting to remedy them.
  As we make these historic investments, we must also redouble our 
efforts to address the longstanding gaps in healthcare access. For 
instance, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make major 
reforms to the Medicare benefit.
  Earlier this year, I reintroduced the Medicare Dental Benefit Act, 
which would add dental benefits to Medicare. It would help more than 56 
million seniors and people with disabilities afford much-needed dental 
care.
  According to the Wisdom Tooth Project of Oral Health America, nearly 
70 percent of seniors lack or have limited access to dental insurance, 
and fewer than half have access to dental care each year. Those numbers 
are inexcusable. We should be working to strengthen and expand access 
to quality, affordable dental care for all Americans, regardless of age 
or income.
  That is why, today, I am introducing, along with Senator Stabenow, 
the Medicaid Dental Benefit Act, which would extend comprehensive 
dental health benefits to tens of millions of low-income Americans.
  Currently, States have flexibility to determine whether to provide 
dental benefits to adult Medicaid enrollees. Although most States, 
including my State, provide at least emergency dental services for 
adults, fewer than half of the States provide comprehensive dental 
care.
  The consequences of such haphazard access could not be clearer: 
higher costs and worse outcomes.
  A recent report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 
found that Black, Hispanic, and low-income adults visited the emergency 
room for dental care at the highest rates of any group in 2018.
  Many of you have heard me speak before of the tragic loss of Deamonte 
Driver, a 12-year-old Prince George's County resident, in 2007. 
Deamonte's death was particularly heartbreaking because it was entirely 
preventable. What started out as a toothache turned into a severe brain 
infection that could have been prevented by an $80 extraction. After 
multiple surgeries and a lengthy hospital stay, Deamonte passed away 
nearly 15 years ago, just a few miles from this building.
  It is imperative that we use this once-in-a-generation opportunity to 
increase access to dental care, which will improve the overall health 
of millions. To echo former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, 
``there is no health without oral health.''
  Adequate access to oral health is essential to preventing tragedies 
like the death of Deamonte Driver from ever happening again. Let us 
continue to build upon the progress made today in advancing access to 
oral health to protect individuals around the country.
  As we work to pass this legislation, let us not lose sight of what is 
at stake. Just in the last few days, we have seen some of the best that 
American healthcare can provide, but also some of the worst.

[[Page S7794]]

  Vaccines are making a critical difference in the fight against COVID-
19, and just this Wednesday, they will be available to all ages 5 and 
older. It is a momentous achievement and a great relief to families and 
communities around the Nation.
  At the same time, women in Texas are being denied access to 
reproductive healthcare while, on Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral 
arguments on two cases challenging the Texas anti-abortion law S.B. 8. 
Roe v. Wade has been the established legal precedent in this country 
for more than half a century, but anti-choice activists continue to 
push policies like S.B. 8 that are sending this country and women's 
health and well-being in the wrong direction. Women and their 
healthcare should not be under constant threat. If we fail the women of 
America, we fail our Nation.
  Right now, we have a choice on how we as a nation want to emerge from 
the pandemic. We can continue on the same course, leaving millions of 
families behind, or we can answer the call of the American people and 
invest in high-quality, equitable healthcare.
  Let us answer the call.
                                 ______