Dental coverage and benefits

View the ADA's official policies on third-party coverage and benefits for dental care.

Current Policies

Whether debating the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or the myriad of other laws that have shaped America's healthcare system, one thing is certain: The ADA is pursuing better insurance reforms to help prevent oral disease before it starts and reduce the number of adults and children with untreated dental disease.

July 22, 2021—Comments responding to a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions request for information on design consideration for legislation to develop a public health insurance option (PDF).

Federal agencies

July 28, 2021—Coalition comments on the CMS Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters for FY 2022 (PDF).

December 30, 2020—Joint comments on the CMS Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters for FY 2022 (PDF).

Mending America's tattered dental safety net requires having an adequate (and sufficiently funded) dental workforce—located where it is needed and with the necessary facilities and equipment to carry out its mission. That is why the ADA is working with lawmakers, public health leaders, and others to protect a number of longstanding programs that provide essential dental care and dental-related services to our most vulnerable citizens.

The ADA is also working with state dental societies, state governments, higher education leaders, charitable organizations, and the private sector to bring Community Dental Health Coordinators (CDHCs) to dentally underserved communities throughout the country.

In Congress

July 7, 2021—Letter thanking Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. for introducing H.R. 3671, the Doctors of Community Act (DOC Act), which would permanently extend and expand the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program to train residents on serving in community-based settings such as federally qualified health centers, rural health centers, and tribal health centers. (PDF).

June 21, 2021—Letter thanking Sen. Patty Murray for introducing S. 1958, the Doctors of Community Act (DOC Act), which would permanently extend and expand the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program to train residents on serving in community-based settings such as federally qualified health centers, rural health centers, and tribal health centers (PDF).

June 28, 2021—Coalition letter  thanking Rep. Karen Bass for introducing H.R. 1794, the Foster Youth Dental Act, which would increase Medicaid dental coverage for former foster youth ages 21 to 25 (PDF).

May 27, 2021—Letter thanking Sens. Susan Collins and Jacklyn Rosen for introducing S. 958, the Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act (MOBILE Act), which will expand the New Access Point (NAP) grants program to allow for the improvement of mobile oral health centers (PDF).

May 27, 2021—Letter thanking Rep. Karen Bass for introducing H.R. 1794, the Foster Youth Dental Act, which would increase Medicaid dental coverage from 21 to 25 for former foster youth (PDF).

April 14, 2021—Coalition letter thanking Rep. Blunt Rochester for introducing H.R. 2295, the HIV Epidemic Loan-Repayment Program Act of 2021 (or HELP Act), which would offer loan repayment up to $250,000 for the HIV dental workforce (PDF).

February 26, 2021—Coalition letter thanking Rep. Diaz Barragan for sponsoring H.R.379, the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act (PDF).

February 5, 2021—Coalition letter urging congressional leaders to increase the Medicaid FMAP percentage by at least 5.8% (PDF).

Federal agencies

June 8, 2022—Letter to the new Chief Dental Officer (CDO) at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) (PDF).

September 16, 2020—Comments (PDF) to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) that express concerns with the current way HPSAs are designated  and give suggestions for an alternative methodology (PDF).

December 20, 2019—Comments on the in response to the request for information about the HRSA PreventionX initiative, including recommendations to increase use of community dental health coordinators (PDF).

The ADA works closely with lawmakers, regulators, and others to help mend the tattered dental safety net. This includes reforming parts of the Medicaid program, which is the largest source of funding for medical and other health-related services for people with low income in the United States. The ADA is also fighting to maintain federal requirements for states to cover dental services in their respective CHIP programs.

In Congress

August 11, 2021—Coalition letter urging Sens. Chuck Schumer and Ron Wyden and Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Frank Pallone, Jr., to cosponsor, H.R. 4439, the Medicaid Dental Benefit Act, which would make adult dental services a mandatory coverage category for all adults in Medicaid.  (PDF).

April 15, 2021—Letter thanking Senator Stabenow for introducing S. 560 the Oral Health for Moms Act, which expands dental coverage for women during their pregnancy and postpartum (PDF).

March 23, 2021—Coalition letter thanking Senators Cardin and Stabenow for introducing S. 448  the Ensuring Kids Have Access to Medically Necessary Dental Care Act, which will eliminate the annual and lifetime dollar limits on dental care provided under CHIP (PDF).

March 12, 2021—Coalition letter thanking Senators Bob Casey, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Representative Susie Lee for introducing the Coronavirus Medicaid Response Act, which would provide an automatic FMAP increase for State Medicaid programs (PDF).

Federal agencies

September 21, 2021—Coalition letter (PDF) urging CMS to revisit the dental community's continuing concerns about beneficiary access to covered facility-based dental surgeries.  (PDF).

July 16, 2021—Letter congratulating Daniel Tsai on his appointment as Deputy Administrator and Director of CMCS) and looking forward to working with CMCS on a number of areas including Medicaid and health equity (PDF).

June 9, 2021—Letter congratulating Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on her confirmation as Administrator of the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and offering to work with CMS on a number of areas including Medicaid and health equity (PDF).

October 2, 2020—Coalition letter urging CMS to update the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System in order to improve patient access to dental procedures in hospitals and surgery centers (PDF).

April 17, 2020—Letter urging the Department of Health and Human Services to provide Medicaid relief funds for Dentists (PDF).

February 5, 2020—Letter urging CMS to address several concerns about the impact Medicaid block grants would have on Medicaid dental care (PDF).

November 6, 2019—Coalition letter expressing concerns about pediatric Medicaid dental audits (PDF).

September 13, 2019—Coalition letter commenting on the CMS proposal to rescind the Medicaid access rule (PDF).

January 11, 2019—Coalition letter commenting on the CMS proposed rule on Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Managed Care (PDF).

The ADA is working to prevent dental insurers from interfering when a contract dentist agrees to furnish a non-plan service to a patient who knows the service is not covered by his or her plan. This includes preventing insurers from arbitrarily changing the terms and conditions of the practitioner's contract without the practitioner's acknowledgement and acceptance of the new terms of service.