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American Dental Education Association

Volume 1, No. 52, March 10, 2020

ADEA Cancels the 2020 Annual Session & Exhibition

 

Yesterday ADEA announced with regret that it was cancelling the 2020 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition—Discover Your Pathway—along with the 2020 ADEA GoDental Recruitment Event and the William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation and Achievement (Gies Awards) gala, that would have been held on March 14-17 in National Harbor, MD, due to spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Congress and Administration Provide Resources in Response to COVID-19

 

On March 5, Congress passed, by large bipartisan majority, and the next day, President Trump signed an emergency supplemental appropriations bill to address many of the impacts of the coronavirus.

 

provides for vaccine development, support for state and local governments in responding to the spread of the virus and assistance for affected small businesses. The bill includes:

  • $100 million for Community Health Centers;
  • $475 million for state and local governments’ public health support, including authority to reimburse for activities taken after Jan. 20 and March 6;
  • $3 billion for basic and advanced research and development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics; and
  • $1 billion for the purchase of personal protective equipment for Community Health Centers and improve surge capacity.

Finally, the new law includes authority for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar to waive certain restrictions in Medicare to allow providers to furnish telehealth services to beneficiaries who do not reside in rural areas.
Federal Judge Strikes Down Michigan Medicaid Work Requirements

 

On March 4, a federal judge struck down a policy in that required some Medicaid recipients to work 80 hours per month in order to receive benefits. The ruling in not surprising, as the judge in the case, Justice James Boasberg, has policies in Arkansas, Kentucky and New Hampshire on the grounds that the decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow these requirements was “arbitrary and capricious because it did not address . . . how the project would implicate the ‘core’ objective of Medicaid: the provision of medical coverage to the needy.” The ruling also comes on the heels of a federal appeals court ruling Boasberg’s decision to stop the policy in Arkansas.

 

Despite the rulings, some states may continue to pursue the policy. may continue to pursue an appeal to the ruling that struck down work requirements in the state. and were recently granted permission by CMS to implement work requirements, and legislation to allow work requirements recently passed the Senate. To date, CMS has in 10 states, and eight additional states have submitted waivers requesting permission to implement the policy.

Teledentistry Bill Passes Virginia General Assembly

 

A that would establish requirements for the practice of teledentistry passed both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly and was sent to Gov. Ralph Northam (D) on March 3 to sign into law. The bill would establish a definition of teledentistry, prohibit the delivery of teledentistry services by anyone who does not hold a license to practice as well as prohibit the practice of dentistry unless a “bona fide dentist-patient relationship,” as defined in the bill, is established. Additionally, the legislation limits individuals eligible to take digital scans. It also establishes minimum standards for the practice of taking digital scans as well as require dentists to establish protocols for patient care that meet specified requirements when practicing teledentistry.

West Virginia Senate Passes Bill to Add Dental Benefits for Adults on Medicaid

 

On Feb. 26, the Senate passed legislation to add coverage for diagnostic and preventative dental services, as well as restorative services for adult Medicaid beneficiaries. The bill caps payment for services to $1,000 per year, but would still expand benefits for beneficiaries who are currently only.

The bill will now be sent the state House of Delegates for consideration.

 

Several other states are also considering expanding Medicaid coverage to include dental benefits for adults, including and . Arizona is considering the addition of dental benefits for and .
Supreme Court to Once Again Decide the Fate of the Affordable Care Act

 

Last week, the Supreme Court of the Texas v. United States case. The Court will not fast track the case, rather the case will be heard during the Court’s next term, which is slated to begin in October 2020. The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case effectively removes it from district court’s docket.

 

Last year in the Texas v. United States case, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision invalidating the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate, but the Court of Appeals did not address the issue of whether ACA itself remained viable without the individual mandate. Instead, the Court of Appeals returned the case to the lower court to decide if ACA can survive without the individual mandate.

 

ACA currently remains in effect until the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Department of Education Issues Guidance on Educational Interruptions Caused by Coronavirus

 

Last week, the U.S. Department Of Education (ED) information, resources and interim guidance for colleges and universities in response to the inquiries that it had received about coronavirus (COVID-19). The information noted the critical role that educational institutions play in disseminating information about the disease. It also steered educational institutions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website for up-to-date information on the virus and how to prevent it. ED posted interim guidance on , guidance on and guidance on how financial aid could be impacted by study interruptions caused by COVID-19.

 

Many of the questions ED received from the higher education community regarding the virus focused on compliance with financial aid requirements. In the , the Department states that “online education is an option for continuing to teach students through COVID-19 related interruptions,” and that ED would be supportive of distance learning by providing “broad approval . . . to use online technologies to accommodate students on a temporary basis, without going through the regular approval process. . . .” Specifically, there are five potential COVID-19 student and campus scenarios that ED addresses in the guidance. One of those scenarios addresses internships and clinical rotations.

 

The important take away from the financial aid guidance is that the Department will try to be as flexible as possible when working with students and institutions impacted by COVID-19.

National Academies of Sciences Reviews Fluoride Monograph

 

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAS) says fluoride has not been shown to be a cognitive neurodevelopmental hazard to people, as suggested by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) draft report last fall.

 

On Sept. 6, 2019, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) of NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences released a monograph, “Systematic Review of Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Health Effects.” The monograph states that “NTP concludes that fluoride is presumed to be a cognitive neurodevelopmental hazard to humans.” In November 2019, NAS was asked to review the NTP monograph to determine if NTP satisfactorily supports its conclusion.

 

On March 5, NAS released its “.” The NAS review states “the committee does not find that NTP has adequately supported its conclusion.” The Committee went on to recommend “further analysis or reanalysis as noted in the present report is needed to support conclusions in the monograph.”

 

ADEA optimal fluoridation of community water. Touted as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, various have supported community water fluoridation over the past several decades. Moreover, the NTP monograph took no note of the public health benefits of fluoride.

 

Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher wrote in his 2001 , “community water fluoridation continues to be the most cost-effective, practical and safe means for reducing and controlling the occurrence of tooth decay in a community. In thousands of communities in the United States where naturally-occurring fluoride levels are deficient, small amounts of fluoride have been added to drinking water supplies with dramatic results. More than 50 years of scientific research has found that people living in communities with fluoridated water have healthier teeth and fewer cavities than those living where the water is not fluoridated.”

The is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.

 

©2020

American Dental Education Association

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA

ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer

 

Bridgette DeHart, J.D.

ADEA Director of Federal Relations

 

Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.

ADEA Director of State Relations and Advocacy

 

Brian Robinson

ADEA Program Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations

 

Ambika R. Srivastava, M.P.H.

ADEA/Sunstar Americas, Inc./Jack Bresch Legislative Intern

 

Higher Logic