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Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025

USA119th CongressS-2084| Senate 
| Updated: 6/12/2025
Angela D. Alsobrooks

Angela D. Alsobrooks

Democratic Senator

Maryland

Cosponsors (4)
John Fetterman (Democratic)Peter Welch (Democratic)Jeff Merkley (Democratic)Richard Blumenthal (Democratic)

Finance Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
This legislation, known as the Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025 , significantly expands healthcare coverage by amending titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act. For Medicare beneficiaries, it introduces comprehensive coverage for dental and oral health services, including routine cleanings, exams, fillings, crowns, root canals, extractions, and emergency dental care. The bill also explicitly covers dentures, removing previous exclusions and setting specific payment rules and frequency limitations, such as one full or partial denture set every five years. The bill further extends Medicare coverage to include vision services , encompassing routine eye examinations and procedures to determine refractive states. It provides for eyeglasses, contact lenses, and low vision devices, with limitations such as one pair of eyeglass lenses every 12 months and a cap on contact lens payments. Similarly, hearing services are added, covering routine hearing exams, exams for hearing aids, and audiology services, along with coverage for hearing aids, limited to one per ear every 48 months. For all newly covered Medicare services—dental, vision, and hearing—the bill establishes a phased-in payment structure. Initially, the payment amount is 0 percent, gradually increasing by 10 percentage points annually until it reaches 80 percent in the eighth year and subsequent years. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is granted authority to apply additional reasonable limitations, including prior authorization requirements, and to modify coverage consistent with recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force. The amendments for Medicare services will apply to services furnished on or after January 1 of the first year beginning at least six months after the bill's enactment. For Medicaid, the bill increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to 90 percent for expenditures related to these new dental, vision, and hearing services. This enhanced federal funding applies to adults not already covered for these services, encouraging states to expand access to these essential benefits for their Medicaid populations.
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Timeline

Bill from Previous Congress

S 116-1423
Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2019

Bill from Previous Congress

S 117-2618
Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2021

Bill from Previous Congress

S 118-842
Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2023
Mar 11, 2025

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 119-2045
Introduced in House
Jun 12, 2025
Introduced in Senate
Jun 12, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  • Bill from Previous Congress

    S 116-1423
    Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2019


  • Bill from Previous Congress

    S 117-2618
    Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2021


  • Bill from Previous Congress

    S 118-842
    Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2023


  • March 11, 2025

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 119-2045
    Introduced in House


  • June 12, 2025
    Introduced in Senate


  • June 12, 2025
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Health

Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025

USA119th CongressS-2084| Senate 
| Updated: 6/12/2025
This legislation, known as the Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025 , significantly expands healthcare coverage by amending titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act. For Medicare beneficiaries, it introduces comprehensive coverage for dental and oral health services, including routine cleanings, exams, fillings, crowns, root canals, extractions, and emergency dental care. The bill also explicitly covers dentures, removing previous exclusions and setting specific payment rules and frequency limitations, such as one full or partial denture set every five years. The bill further extends Medicare coverage to include vision services , encompassing routine eye examinations and procedures to determine refractive states. It provides for eyeglasses, contact lenses, and low vision devices, with limitations such as one pair of eyeglass lenses every 12 months and a cap on contact lens payments. Similarly, hearing services are added, covering routine hearing exams, exams for hearing aids, and audiology services, along with coverage for hearing aids, limited to one per ear every 48 months. For all newly covered Medicare services—dental, vision, and hearing—the bill establishes a phased-in payment structure. Initially, the payment amount is 0 percent, gradually increasing by 10 percentage points annually until it reaches 80 percent in the eighth year and subsequent years. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is granted authority to apply additional reasonable limitations, including prior authorization requirements, and to modify coverage consistent with recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force. The amendments for Medicare services will apply to services furnished on or after January 1 of the first year beginning at least six months after the bill's enactment. For Medicaid, the bill increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to 90 percent for expenditures related to these new dental, vision, and hearing services. This enhanced federal funding applies to adults not already covered for these services, encouraging states to expand access to these essential benefits for their Medicaid populations.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline

Bill from Previous Congress

S 116-1423
Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2019

Bill from Previous Congress

S 117-2618
Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2021

Bill from Previous Congress

S 118-842
Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2023
Mar 11, 2025

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 119-2045
Introduced in House
Jun 12, 2025
Introduced in Senate
Jun 12, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  • Bill from Previous Congress

    S 116-1423
    Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2019


  • Bill from Previous Congress

    S 117-2618
    Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2021


  • Bill from Previous Congress

    S 118-842
    Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2023


  • March 11, 2025

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 119-2045
    Introduced in House


  • June 12, 2025
    Introduced in Senate


  • June 12, 2025
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Angela D. Alsobrooks

Angela D. Alsobrooks

Democratic Senator

Maryland

Cosponsors (4)
John Fetterman (Democratic)Peter Welch (Democratic)Jeff Merkley (Democratic)Richard Blumenthal (Democratic)

Finance Committee

Health

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted