Action for Dental Health Act of 2017

Floor Speech

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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.

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