Action for Dental Health Act of 2018

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.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members

may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

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.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote on the measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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.