Despite Bipartisan Congressional Support, SCHIP Override Vote Fails

Main Category: Dentistry
Also Included In: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 19 Oct 2007 - 3:00 PDT

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An attempt by the U.S. House of Representatives to override President Bush's veto of a bill reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) failed today by a vote of 273 to 156. Two Democrats voted to sustain the veto and 44 Republicans voted to overturn it. The bill, which the Senate previously had approved by a veto-proof margin, contained significant dental provisions. It was vetoed by President Bush on October 3, 2007.

"The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is grateful to members of Congress for their bipartisan support of the SCHIP bill. Clearly, a majority in Congress understands the need to stabilize access to dental care for children by establishing a federal dental benefit in the SCHIP program. We are encouraged by this increasing awareness among federal legislators of the importance and value of oral health," said ADEA President James Q. Swift, D.D.S.

The House vote fails to ensure the program's reauthorization with the new dental provisions. The case of Deamonte Driver, a young boy in Maryland who died of complications related to a tooth abscess, brought even greater attention to the issue of providing better access to dental care for children. Oral health advocates, including ADEA, worked with supporters in Congress to include for the first time dental coverage in the bill.

A successful override vote would have secured the following dental provisions:

- A guaranteed dental benefit
- A requirement to coordinate dental care for children with other public or private insurance coverage
- Oral health education for caregivers of newborns
- Federally Qualified Health Centers' authorization to contract with private practice dental providers
- Establishment of dental health data collection and analysis
- Establishment of a hotline for parents to find dental providers and a website to provide a current and accurate list of dentists who accept Medicaid or SCHIP
- A Government Accountability Office (GAO) study to examine children's access to oral care

Congressional supporters of the SCHIP reauthorization bill must now negotiate with the White House to craft a compromise. It remains unclear at this time whether the dental provisions included in the original legislation will be part of the compromise bill.

"Approximately 23 million children do not have dental coverage in the United States. The dental benefits included in the SCHIP bill undoubtedly would have improved access to oral health care for millions of low-income children in working families who do not qualify for Medicaid," said ADEA Executive Director Richard W. Valachovic, D.M.D., M.P.H. "We will continue our grassroots advocacy efforts to persuade the President and Congress to include them in the final version," added Dr. Valachovic.

While dental care is not required under SCHIP and coverage varies among states, most states have recognized the need for dental coverage. However, budget pressures on states often cause disruptions in children's oral health care as states reduce or eliminate oral health benefits in an effort to save money. The dental services children receive in SCHIP save overall health care dollars by treating oral health conditions before they worsen. Without treatment, these conditions can result in costly visits to the emergency room or, tragically, in deaths such as Deamonte Driver's.

For more information about ADEA's advocacy efforts, go to http://www.adea.org/CPPA_Materials.

About the American Dental Education Association

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is the voice of dental education. Its members include all U.S. and Canadian dental schools and many allied and postdoctoral dental education programs, corporations, faculty, and students. The mission of ADEA is to lead individuals and institutions of the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research, and the delivery of oral health care for the health of the public. ADEA's activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings, and communications like the esteemed Journal of Dental Education, as well as the dental school admissions services AADSAS and PASS.

http://www.adea.org

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