# 119-hr-9831: Medicaid Dental Benefit Act of 2026

119-hr-9831, Medicaid Dental Benefit Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9831
- As of: 2026-09-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9831
- Congress: 119
- Title: Medicaid Dental Benefit Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-22
- Sponsor: Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 22
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-04

## Summary

**Makes adult dental care a mandatory Medicaid benefit and pairs that change with a temporary, full federal match to speed state adoption.** It sets a clear list of covered oral health services and an effective date for the new rule of January 1, 2027. - Adults on Medicaid: Requires coverage of dental and oral health services for adults. Covered care includes dentures, implants, preventive care, restoration, pain relief, and emergency oral treatment and cannot be limited in institutional settings. - States and the District of Columbia: Gets a 100 percent Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for dental expenditures for a 12-quarter period beginning January 1, 2027. The enhanced match is capped at 100 percent and excludes spending on items beyond the defined base or costs already covered or tied to Medicare cost-sharing. - Territories and state flexibility: Territories may opt in and receive 100 percent FMAP for 12 quarters starting when they first cover the items. States may also choose to add additional dental items beyond the base benefit.

## Cosponsors (22)

- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] (D-IL), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37] (D-TX), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6] (D-PA), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2] (D-RI), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6] (D-WA), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] (D-FL), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2026-08-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2026-08-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7] (D-WA), 2026-08-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large] (D-DE), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] (D-NC), 2026-09-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Temporary full federal dental match: benefit, high. If enacted, the federal match (FMAP) for Medicaid dental and oral health services would be 100 percent for a 12-quarter period. For the 50 States and DC, that period would begin January 1, 2027. For U.S. territories, the 12 quarters would begin the first quarter on or after January 1, 2027 when the…
- Mandatory adult dental coverage in Medicaid: mixed, high. If enacted, States would have to cover a defined set of adult dental and oral health services for Medicaid spending in calendar quarters starting January 1, 2027. The bill would define covered services to include dentures, implants, preventive and restorative care, pain relief, and emergency oral s…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9831 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9831)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2086)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9831 (as of 2026-09-04).