S-5089 — Medicare Dental Benefit Act of 2026

YourVoice.Now Summary

Your Money

Medicare would cover dental care starting in 2028 — with its share of big bills rising to 80 percent over nine years.

Your Money

Medicare coverage for dental care — starts January 1, 2028

Medicare has never paid for routine dental work. This would add cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals, crowns, dentures, and emergency care to what Part B pays for.

Cleanings, exams, and x-rays — two of each every year

Routine checkups would count as preventive care, so they would skip the long phase-in that applies to other dental work. Medicare would pay for two cleanings and two exams every 12 months.

Medicare's share for low-income enrollees — full 80 percent from year one

People who qualify for the Part D low-income drug subsidy would skip the phase-in. Medicare would pay 80 percent of their dental bills from the first year.

Medicare help with dentures — one set every five years

Full and partial dentures would be covered as prosthetic devices. Medicare would pay for one full upper and one full lower set every five years, on the same rising schedule.

Approval paperwork before some dental work — agency may require it

Health officials could cap how often a service is covered and require sign-off before it is paid for. They could also lift those caps for people who need more care.

Your share of big dental bills — 20 percent after nine years

For fillings, crowns, root canals, and other larger work, Medicare would pay nothing in the first year. Its share would rise by 10 points a year until it reaches 80 percent, leaving you the other 20 percent.

More about this bill

If you have Medicare, dental care would be covered for the first time. Cleanings, fillings, root canals, crowns, dentures, and emergency work would all count. Today Medicare pays for almost none of this. The new coverage would apply to care given on or after January 1, 2028. Cleanings, exams, and x-rays would count as preventive care, with two of each a year. For bigger work, Medicare's share would start at nothing and grow each year. It would reach 80 percent in year nine. People with low incomes would get the full 80 percent from the start. Dentures would follow the same schedule, with one set covered every five years. Health officials could add other limits, such as asking for approval before some work.

Congressional Summary

Medicare Dental Benefit Act of 2026This bill provides for Medicare coverage of dental and oral health services, including routine diagnostic and preventive services, basic and major dental services, and emergency care; dental prostheses are also covered. Currently, such services are excluded from Medicare coverage.

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: Senate
Status: summarized
Action: Introduced in Senate
Action Date: 2026-07-22
Date Added: 2026-08-26
Source: Congress.gov →

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