Oct. 18, 2023
WARREN — Rep. Kathy L. Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest), Republican chair of the House Health Committee, announced the committee approved two bills to boost access to dental care in Pennsylvania.
House Bill 1417 would restore dental coverage for Medical Assistance recipients.
House Bill 1585 would establish access and coverage for teledentistry in Pennsylvania.
“I am a strong believer in making dental care more accessible, particularly for those in the more rural parts of the Commonwealth,” Rapp said. “A virtual dentist visit may be the only option for some children, and this legislation ensures that those kids will still be seen by qualified health care professionals.”
The Health Committee also approved
Senate Bill 500, which would require Medical Assistance coverage for medically prescribed pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) in inpatient and outpatient settings for medically fragile infants under the age of 12 months.
In addition, the committee also reported out four resolutions designating certain days, weeks and months in recognition of an array of causes. Among these resolutions is Rapp’s
House Resolution 244, which would recognize Oct. 24, as "World Polio Day" in Pennsylvania.
“Thanks to the work of Rotary and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Polio cases have dropped by 99.9% since 1988, and the world stands on the threshold of eradicating the disease,” said Rapp. “I hope this resolution can continue this momentum to wipe out the remainder of this debilitating disease.”
All bills and resolutions were passed unanimously, except for House Bill 1417, which passed the House Health Committee 24-1. They now head to the full House for consideration.
“While there are many issues that divide our House politically, today’s votes show we can still work together to make the Commonwealth a better place with common sense legislation,” Rapp said.
Representative Kathy Rapp
65th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jake Gillespie
717.772.9834
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