# 119-s-5089: Medicare Dental Benefit Act of 2026 119-s-5089, Medicare Dental Benefit Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-07). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5089 - As of: 2026-10-07 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-5089 - Congress: 119 - Title: Medicare Dental Benefit Act of 2026 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-07-22 - Sponsor: Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD) - Cosponsors: 2 - Policy area: Health - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-10-07 ## Summary **Expands Medicare to cover dental and oral health services.** This bill would define a broad set of dental benefits, set rules for payment and limits, and phase in higher federal payment rates over several years. - Medicare enrollees and older adults would gain Part B coverage for routine preventive care (cleanings, exams, x‑rays), basic care (fillings, extractions), major services (root canals, crowns, dentures), and emergency dental care. Routine cleanings and exams would be payable up to twice in a 12‑month period and prostheses payments would be limited to one full upper and one full lower prosthesis every five years. - Low‑income Medicare beneficiaries who are subsidy‑eligible would receive an 80 percent payment rate starting in the first year instead of waiting for the multi‑year phase‑in. - States and program rules would change: the federal share (Federal Medical Assistance Percentage) would be 100 percent for state payments that cover Medicare cost‑sharing tied to the new Part B dental benefits for qualified beneficiaries. The bill would tie dental payments to the physician fee schedule, phase payment rates from 0 percent up to 80 percent over eight years for most people, and add at least one oral health professional to the Preventive Services Task Force. All changes would apply to services furnished on or after January 1, 2028. ## Cosponsors (2) - Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - New Medicare dental coverage for seniors: benefit, high. This bill would add a new Medicare benefit called "dental and oral health services" starting January 1, 2028. It would list covered care like cleanings, exams, x‑rays, fillings, extractions, root canals, crowns, dentures, and emergency dental care. The bill would explicitly include dental prosthese… - States get full match for dental: benefit, medium. The bill would make the federal Medicaid match (FMAP) 100 percent for the part of state Medicaid spending that pays Medicare Part B dental cost‑sharing for qualified Medicare beneficiaries (QMBs). This would apply when a State pays a QMB's Medicare dental cost‑sharing as defined in the bill. The ch… - Routine dental care as preventive: benefit, low. The bill would treat routine dental services (for example, cleanings, exams, and x‑rays) as Medicare preventive services starting January 1, 2028. It would also add dental services into the Medicare physician fee schedule so clinicians are paid under that system. These steps would likely lower or s… - Add oral health expert to task force: benefit, low. The bill would require the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to include at least one oral health professional starting January 1, 2028. This could influence future preventive guidance about oral health and related coverage decisions. - Phased Medicare payments for dental care: mixed, high. For non‑routine dental services, the bill would phase in Medicare payment over several years. The first year (starting at least six months after enactment) would be 0 percent; then the Medicare share would rise by 10 percentage points each year until reaching 80 percent in year 8 and later. People… ## Related bills - 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026 - 119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act - 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act - 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026 - 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act - 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act ## Sources - [119-s-5089 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5089) ## Related - [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949) - [119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2838) - [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283) - [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990) - [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823) - [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5089 (as of 2026-10-07).