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American Dental Education Association


Volume 3, No. 46, June 12, 2024

End of Pandemic Era Internet Subsidies Threatens Access to Telehealth in Rural and Underserved Areas
 
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a federal initiative that enabled low-income Americans to access the internet, has officially ended [ [link removed] ] . On Friday, the U.S. government announced the final closure of the program, which had been administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and benefited nearly 60 million people. Despite the program's widespread popularity and its success in aiding around one in five households across the country, calls for additional funding by consumer advocates and Democratic lawmakers went unheeded by Republican leaders in Congress.
 
The ACP, which lasted for 2.5 years, provided eligible households with a monthly credit of up to $30 on their internet bills, with higher amounts of up to $75 for those on tribal lands. It gained bipartisan support and was particularly beneficial during the pandemic, serving tens of millions of seniors, veterans and residents in both rural and urban areas. However, the program began to falter in May when participants received only partial benefits, anticipating the program's imminent collapse. Democratic lawmakers and President Joe Biden have publicly criticized Republican leaders for their inaction, which has led to the program's termination.
 
In response to the program's end, President Biden has called for Congress to pass new legislation to extend the ACP. He also announced [ [link removed] ] that several internet service providers, including AT&T, Comcast, Cox, Charter’s Spectrum and Verizon, have committed to offering low-income internet plans independently. These providers are expected to cover about 10 million of the 23 million households that previously depended on the ACP.
 
Initially, Congress budgeted $14 billion for the ACP; President Biden requested an additional $6 billion to continue it. There was also a bipartisan proposal to renew the ACP with $7 billion in additional funding. Despite these efforts, no solution was reached before the deadline. Without the ACP, many low-income families are expected to face increased internet costs, leading to a potential downgrading or discontinuation of their internet services. This, in turn, will have an adverse impact on rural, urban, and tribal reservations’ access to telehealth services, including teledentistry.

Latest Numbers Show an Increase in Health Professional Shortage areas
 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) released updated numbers [ [link removed] ] of Health Professional Shortage areas (HPSAs) before subsequently updating the number of additional dental health practitioners needed to fully support HPSAs.
 
According to the new data, there are 6,842 HPSAs across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., 22 more than previously reported; an additional 9,926 dental health practitioners are needed to fully staff the HPSAs. In February 2024, HRSA reported that there were 6,820 HPSAs and that 9,781 additional dental health professionals were needed to fully staff the HPSAs.

Florida Makes Changes to Licensure and Teledentistry Laws
 
On May 30, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed two bills that will make changes to the state’s licensure laws for dentists, as well as changes to laws governing patient interaction and dental services provided through telehealth.
 
SB 938 [ [link removed] ] updates licensure laws by:
 • Deleting language requiring dental students who have completed the coursework necessary to prepare to pass the American Dental License Examination (ADEX) to wait until their final year of dental school to apply for licensure. This would allow dental students [ [link removed] ] to take portions of the exam during different years of dental school, not just their final year;
 • Deleting language that limits the validity of ADEX scores to 365 days after official examination results are published;
 • Deleting an alternate pathway to dental licensure by having an active Florida health access [ [link removed] ] dental license and meeting specific additional practice requirements;
 • Requiring an out-of-state licensed dentist applying for licensure in the state to disclose to the board of dentistry, rather than submit proof, whether he or she has been reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank; and
 • Deleting a requirement that an out-of-state licensed dentist who receives a Florida license engage in the full-time practice of dentistry inside the geographic boundaries of the state for one year after licensure.

HB 855 [ [link removed] ] made several changes to laws governing patient interaction and dental services provided through telehealth. The bill:
 • Requires every dentist to provide each patient with the dentist’s name, contact telephone number, after-hours contact information for emergencies and license information;
 • Requires any partnership, corporation, or other business entity that advertises dental services to designate a dentist of record with the Board of Dentistry. Such an entity is required to provide each patient with the name, contact phone number, after-hours emergency contact information and, upon patient request, license information of the dentist of record;
 • Requires a dentist to perform an in-person examination on a patient, or review records from an in-person examination of the patient from the last 12 months, before the dentist makes an initial diagnosis and correction of a malposition of teeth, or the initial use of an orthodontic appliance; and
 • Requires advertisements for specified telehealth dental services to include a disclaimer.

New York Sends Pair of Bills to Improve Dental Health to Governor
 
Both chambers of the New York State Legislature recently passed a bill [ [link removed] ] that establishes a campaign to promote public awareness of the importance of good oral health. The campaign is required to include, but is not limited to, the impact of oral disease, causes of oral disease and its prevention, oral health across the lifespan, the total body connection, the value of early detection and the availability of oral health services in the community. The bill will now be sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for consideration.

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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
 • 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.
 
©2024
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 Senior Director of State Relations and Advocacy
 
Contact Us:
[email protected] [ mailto:[email protected] ]

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