YourVoice.Now Summary
Your MoneyCorporate BenefitsFormer foster youth could keep Medicaid's full kids' benefits, like dental care, until 26 — and dentists would get paid more
Your Money
Today, Medicaid's full children's benefits, including dental, vision, and hearing care, end at age 21. Youth in foster care, and those who left care at 18 while on Medicaid, would keep them until 26.
Each state would have to start a program to help former foster youth sign up for Medicaid. The state's Medicaid and child welfare offices would work together on it.
Corporate Benefits
States and Medicaid managed care plans would have to pay these dentists at least the average private-insurance rate from the past five years. The federal government would pay the extra cost above each state's January 2026 rate.
More about this bill
If you are a former foster youth on Medicaid, you could keep its full children's benefits until age 26 instead of 21. Medicaid is health coverage for people with low incomes. Those benefits cover regular checkups plus dental, vision, and hearing care. They also cover any treatment needed for problems the checkups find. This would apply to youth who left foster care at 18 while on Medicaid, and to youth still in care. It would start in the first three-month quarter at least 80 days after the bill becomes law. States would have to pay dentists who treat these youth at least what private insurance pays on average. Medicaid managed care plans would have to pay that rate too. In the 50 states and D.C., the federal government would cover all of the extra cost above each state's January 2026 rate. States would also have to tell these youth about dental care. Within six months, each state would have to start a program to sign up former foster youth for Medicaid. States would also have to reach out to dentists to get more of them to take Medicaid.
Congressional Summary
Foster Youth Dental Act of 2026 This bill expands Medicaid coverage of current and former foster youth, particularly with respect to dental services. Specifically, the bill requires state Medicaid programs to cover early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment services, including dental services, for current and former foster youth under the age of 26. States must set a special payment rate, based on rates in the private sector, for dental services provided to such individuals; the bill provides an enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for excess expenses that result from such payments. The bill's requirements take effect 80 days after the date of enactment of the bill.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2026-10-01
- Date Added
- 2026-10-17
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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