Legislation Search

H.R. 2045: Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025

This bill, titled the Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025, seeks to amend the Social Security Act to expand Medicare coverage to include dental, vision, and hearing services. Here’s a summary of the key provisions of the bill:

Dental and Oral Health Care

The bill proposes the following changes regarding dental care under Medicare:

Coverage Expansion: It will include a variety of dental and oral health services, such as preventative care (like check-ups and cleanings), basic services (like tooth restorations), major services (such as crowns and bridges), emergency care, and other necessary services.
Payment Structure: The bill outlines a payment schedule for these services, which will progressively cover a larger percentage of costs starting in 2026, reaching 100% for some services.
Limitations: Routine cleanings and exams will be limited to two per year. The bill also provides the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to impose additional limitations on coverage based on reasonable criteria.
Denture Coverage: Coverage will be expanded to include dentures, with payment structures similar to other dental services, allowing only limited dentures every five years.

Vision Care

The vision care provisions provide for the following:

Coverage Inclusion: Services will cover routine eye exams and other necessary eye health procedures.
Payment and Limitations: The bill mandates that Medicare pays 80% of the actual charges for vision services, with limitations set on the frequency of payments for exams and other services.
Eyewear Coverage: There are specific provisions for eyeglass lenses, frames, and contact lenses, including limits on how often these can be claimed for reimbursement.

Hearing Care

For hearing care, the bill includes:

Coverage for Audiology and Hearing Services: Routine hearing exams and services related to hearing health will be covered, allowing greater access to audiology services.
Payment Structure: Similar to vision and dental care, Medicare will cover 80% of costs for these services. Specific limitations will also apply to ensure the efficient use of resources.
Hearing Aids: The bill includes provisions for the coverage of hearing aids, specifying payment limitations and frequency of coverage (one hearing aid per ear every four years).

General Provisions

Implementation Date: The provisions outlined in the bill will come into effect on January 1, 2026.
Non-application of Competitive Acquisition: Certain items, including dentures and hearing aids, will be explicitly excluded from competitive acquisition processes.
US Preventive Services Task Force: The bill looks to include an oral health professional on the Task Force to better integrate oral health into public health recommendations.

Relevant Companies

HSIC - Henry Schein, Inc.: A distributor of dental products that may see changes in demand due to expanded coverage.
PDCO - Patterson Companies, Inc.: A dental supply company that could be impacted positively by increased access to dental services under Medicare.
DEPO - Depomed, Inc.: May be indirectly impacted as dental and health care spending increases with more patients seeking covered services.

This is an AI-generated summary of the bill text. There may be mistakes.

Actions

2 actions

Date	Action
Mar. 11, 2025	Introduced in House
Mar. 11, 2025	Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Corporate Lobbying

0 companies lobbying

None found.

* Note that there can be significant delays in lobbying disclosures, and our data may be incomplete.

Potentially Relevant Congressional Stock Trades

Estimated excess return of the underlying stock since the transaction

Politician	Stock	Transaction	Filed	Traded
Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. D / House	HSIC HENRY SCHEIN, INC. - COMMON STOCK	Sale $1,001 - $15,000	Apr 07, 2025	Mar 31, 2025	-3.33%