Nov 4, 2022 - Health

Democrats get a small reason to smile

Caitlin Owens

Democrats won a consolation prize this week when Medicare administrators added limited dental benefits to next year's coverage, nodding to a priority that got axed in negotiations over the Inflation Reduction Act.

Why it matters: The regulatory change could save some seniors money on dental care in specific situations, but leaves those enrolled in traditional fee-for-service Medicare without coverage in most circumstances.

Driving the news: A payment rule released by CMS this week clarified that Medicare will cover some dental services, but only in those situations when dental care is linked to a covered medical procedure, such as before an organ transplant.

The big picture: The idea of beefing up Medicare benefits to include dental, vision and/or hearing coverage was very much in play when Democrats began to craft the health care portions of their reconciliation bill last year.

But the cost of such coverage expansions led negotiators to drop the idea during the dealmaking and political machinations that followed.

The bottom line: The new policy "does not go nearly as far as having a dental benefit in traditional Medicare," said KFF's Meredith Freed.

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Democrats get a small reason to smile

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