Labor leaders reached an accord with White House and Congressional negotiators late last night on the terms of a newly imposed tax on high-cost insurance plans that would help offset some of the costs associated with health care reform.  Included in the deal is the requirement that, beginning in 2015, the cost of dental and vision insurance would be excluded from the calculations to determine what constitutes a "high-cost" plan.  This is a major victory for oral health advocates as it guarantees that employers will not be tempted to stop offering dental insurance to their employees in order to fall below the taxable amount.
 
Congressional leadership has indicated that they will send a revised bill that combines the House- and Senate-passed versions to the Congressional Budget Office for a cost estimate within the next day or so.  At this stage lawmakers are focused on the larger questions regarding cost and the overall design of the reform package.  For this reason, it remains unclear how other oral health related provisions regarding the benefit design, workforce, and prevention and surveillance will fare.  CDHP continues to advocate on Capitol Hill for the inclusion of key oral health priorities in health care reform and will provide updates as they become available.