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American Dental Education Association


Volume 3, No. 28, January 30, 2024

HHS Revises Trump-Era Conscience Rule for Health Care Workers
 
The Biden administration announced [ [link removed] ] the reversal of a Trump-era rule that expanded the rights of medical workers to refuse services, such as abortions or providing services to members of the LGBTQ+ community, based on religious or moral beliefs. The existing federal laws permitted health care providers to refuse care based on religious beliefs, but the Trump administration's rule sought to significantly expand the interpretation and implementation of these laws.
 
The Trump-era rule, partially rescinded by the new rule, withdrew federal funding from health facilities that required workers to provide objectionable services like abortions, contraception, gender-affirming care and sterilization.
 
The Department of Health and Human Services emphasized the delicate balance between health care access and respecting religious and moral convictions outlined in the health care conscience protection statutes. The agency acknowledged that some healthcare professionals may object to certain procedures due to religious or moral reasons but emphasized the importance of patients' rights and urgent health needs.

Over 21.3 Million Enroll in Health Insurance Offered by the Affordable Care Act Marketplace
 
During the 2024 Open Enrollment Period, 21.3 million people [ [link removed] ] selected Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace plans, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This figure includes over five million new enrollees, approximately one quarter of the total, and 16 million individuals who renewed their coverage. Notably, open enrollment is ongoing in four states and Washington, D.C., until January 31.
 
The Inflation Reduction Act has enabled four in five HealthCare.gov customers to secure health care coverage for $10 or less per month for the 2024 plan year, after subsidies. The Biden administration also granted close to $100 million in Navigator Awards, facilitating the hiring of trained staff to assist consumers with finding affordable and comprehensive health coverage. The measures taken have expanded access to affordable coverage for millions of middle- and lower-income families nationwide. Comparatively, 4.2 million more individuals with household incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level enrolled in 2024 coverage, emphasizing the impact of affordability on enrollment.
 
Marketplace coverage has proven vital for many individuals who transitioned from Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) while states conducted eligibility renewals. As of Dec. 31, 2023, data from the CMS revealed that 2.4 million plan selections in states using HealthCare.gov were made by individuals previously enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP coverage. The federal 2024 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period spanned from Nov. 1, 2023, to Jan. 16, 2024, for states using the HealthCare.gov platform, while state-based Marketplace enrollment deadlines varied.

Florida Board of Education Issues Rule to Implement Ban on Use of Funds for DEI Initiatives; Utah Sends Similar Bill to Governor
 
On Jan. 17, the Florida Board of Education adopted a rule [ [link removed] ] to implement and further clarify a 2023 law [ [link removed] ] that prohibits the use of state and federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. While the new law specifically prohibited the use of funds for DEI initiatives that involved training or instruction, advocating for DEI, or promoting or engaging in political or social activism, it required the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors to define many of those terms. The new rule creates definitions for “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” “political or social activism,” “federal funds,” “social issues,” and several additional terms that were undefined in the legislation. Additionally, the rule cites specific activities that would meet the definition of advocating for DEI.
 
According to a press release [ [link removed] ] that announced adoption of the new rule, the State Board also replaced the course "Principles of Sociology" with a comprehensive general education core course in American History.
 
The Utah legislature will send similar legislation [ [link removed] ] to Gov. Spencer Cox (R) after passing a bill that prohibits institutions of higher education from employing anyone in a DEI position. Institutions will now be required to “ensure that all students have access to programs providing student success and support.” Additionally, institutions will be prohibited from using diversity statements and requiring students or employees to participate in mandatory diversity training. Finally, the state will contract with a third party to conduct a climate survey of each institution to assess student, faculty and staff perceptions of and experiences with an institution's campus environment. The survey measures those groups’ perception of and experience with an institution's campus environment, as well as their perception and experience with campus policy and practice regarding freedom of speech and academic freedom. Gov. Cox has indicated he will sign the bill [ [link removed] ] .

Medicaid Update: States Make Additional Attempts to Add Work Requirements; Georgia May Consider Full Medicaid Expansion
 
Although federal courts struck down [ [link removed]'s%20withdrawals,found%20work%20requirement%20approvals%20unlawful. ] multiple attempts to add work requirements to state Medicaid programs, several states are again considering [ [link removed] ] tacking work requirements onto their programs. Lawmakers or governors in Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana and South Dakota have either proposed legislation to implement the requirements or, at the very least, floated the idea.
 
Georgia, which implemented a partial Medicaid expansion in 2023, and is currently the only state where a work requirement has been allowed to be implemented, may consider full Medicaid expansion this year. According to at least one report, Republican lawmakers in the state have shown interest in Arkansas-style expansion [ [link removed] ] where the state would purchase ACA health care plans for expansion populations rather than adding them to the state-run Medicaid program. Enrollment in the state’s partial expansion, which provides coverage to individuals who earn up to 100% of the federal poverty level, rather than 138% as allowed under the Affordable Care Act, has been underwhelming [ [link removed] ] , and is likely to be contributing factor in the decision to explore full expansion. Georgia was allowed to implement its work requirement owing, in part, to a federal judge who determined [ [link removed] ] that the state would not have implemented the program without the requirement, which would have reduced Medicaid coverage in the state.

2024 ADEA/AADOCR/Friends of NIDCR Advocacy Day
 
On Thursday, April 11, 2024, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR), and the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR) will join forces for our 2024 Advocacy Day!
 
This event will be held in person on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Participants will receive a legislative briefing and advocacy training on Wednesday April 10, 2024, that will feature speakers from Congress, HRSA and NIDCR. The following day, April 11, will be dedicated to group meetings on Capitol Hill with targeted congressional offices, including participants’ own elected officials. The deadline to register [ [link removed] ] for the 2024 Advocacy Day is Feb. 23. See you there!

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ADEA Advocacy in Action
This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.
 
Issues and Resources
 • ADA Dentist and Student Lobby Day, Apr. 7-9, 2024. Register here [ [link removed] ] .
 • The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice has issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making concerning the “Accessibility of Medical Diagnostic Equipment of State and Local Government Entities [ [link removed] ] .” MDE includes dental chairs. Interested parties my comment on or before Feb. 12, 2024.
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on teledentistry
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
 • ADEA policy brief [ [link removed] ] regarding overprescription of antibiotics
 • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click here [ [link removed] ] .

Key Federal Issues [ [link removed] ]

ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [link removed] ]

Key State Issues [ [link removed] ]

The ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] 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.
 
©2023
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: 202-289-7201
Website: www.adea.org [ [link removed] ]

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA
ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer
 
Bridgette DeHart, J.D.
ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy
 
Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.
ADEA Director of State Relations and Advocacy
 
Varsha Menon
ADEA Program Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations
 
Contact Us:
[email protected] [ mailto:[email protected] ]

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