An amendment to the healthcare reform bill being debated in the U.S. House of Representatives would require the secretary of health and human services to report on the need for universal dental care.
The bill, passed by three committees of the House of Representatives, would require all Americans to buy health insurance and prevent insurance companies from denying coverage based on illness. The bill defines what benefits would have to be included in health insurance policies, and among them it lists dental coverage for children, but not adults.
Last week Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) submitted an amendment that mandates a "study determining the need and cost of providing accessible and affordable oral healthcare to adults as part of the essential benefits package."
Although the bill had technically already passed out of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the amendment was inserted by a parliamentary maneuver called "en bloc" in which several amendments are passed by consensus and sent to the Committee on Rules.
"This amendment could set the stage for an adult benefit to be added in the future," the Children's Dental Health Project stated.
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