One of the more complicated pieces is creating the Medicare dental program. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., said the "lead-in time" to get the dental program started is at least three years, "so if you want to give it a more immediate benefit, you have to look at ways to do that.”
One idea under discussion is whether to provide a voucher for Medicare beneficiaries to cover dental services. That could allow enrollees to access those services sooner than in 2028, when dental benefits would take effect under the proposals marked up by House committees last month.
Some Democrats were skeptical of using vouchers. Gomez said Democrats have long opposed vouchers in the Medicare program and that they would “undermine Medicare in the long term.” He and Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., complained that the vouchers being discussed provide a fixed amount that won't be enough to meet the needs, particularly, of lower-income seniors.
“If you just do a voucher, then the people who are going to be able to use it are the ones that already have the money to get through,” Gomez said, adding that vouchers could cover preventative care but wouldn’t be generous enough to cover reconstructive services.
'SALT' problem
Several Democrats made clear Wednesday that an effort to repeal, or at least lift, the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax deduction is still alive. “It has to be," Neal said.
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October 21, 2021 at 05:27AM
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Down to the wire on budget bill as Democrats haggle over details - Roll Call
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