1. Short title; findings (a) Short Title This Act may be cited as the Medicare Medically Necessary Dental Care Act of 2023 . (b) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Oral and general healths are inseparable, and good dental care is critical to our overall physical health and well-being. (2) A 1999 Institute of Medicine study found that the prevention and management of oral infection have significant health implications when such infection has the potential to increase morbidity in Medicare patients who are at risk of adverse outcomes from underlying health problems. (3) Improved oral health care may reduce mortality and morbidity rates of Medicare patients suffering from head and neck cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, organ transplantation, and heart valve disease. (4) The Medicare program, from its inception, has excluded coverage for services in connection with the care, treatment, filling, removal, or replacement of teeth or structures directly supporting the teeth. (5) The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has approved coverage exceptions for limited dental services and proposed additional exceptions based on the argument that oral health services would reduce the risk of infection and other complications of medical care. (6) The Institute of Medicine study concluded that it is reasonable for Congress to update the statutory language relating to coverage of dental services for Medicare beneficiaries so that it clearly covers dental care that is effective in preventing or reducing oral and systemic complications associated with serious medical conditions and treatments. 2. Medicare coverage of medically necessary dental procedures (a) In general Section 1862 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395y ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(12)— (A) by inserting (A) after except that