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American Dental Education Association

Volume 1, No. 27, August 20, 2019
Delaware Adds Dental Benefits for Adult Medicaid Patients

 

On Aug. 6, legislation that granted dental benefits to adult Medicaid patients in Delaware. allows patients to receive up to $1,000 in annual assistance for preventive and restorative treatment, and allows the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services to authorize an additional $1,500 per patient for emergency treatment. Adult patients will be required to pay a $3 copay for dental treatment.

 

Following implementation of the new Delaware law, Tennessee and Alabama will be the only states that offer no dental benefits for adult Medicaid patients. ADEA will continue to monitor implementation of this policy as it moves through the regulatory process.
ADEA Staff Attend State Legislatures Summit

 

Every August, the hosts its annual where over 5,500 state legislators, legislative staff, nonprofit institutions and business stakeholders convene to discuss the most important issues facing states today.

 

This year’s event took place in Nashville, TN, and members of the ADEA Advocacy and Governmental Relations (AGR) staff attended to network with legislators and colleagues, and to learn about innovative state policies. Among the educational sessions AGR staff attended were sessions that addressed new state policies to expand access to oral health care, professional licensure portability, state innovations of health systems and the power of storytelling in conveying an advocacy message.

 

Additionally, for the first time at this event, ADEA AGR hosted a booth in the conference exhibit hall. The booth provided an opportunity for AGR staff to meet legislators and discuss issues related to oral health, licensure and student loan repayment programs. AGR staff also distributed material describing the vital role ADEA Member Institutions play in America’s , important changes to and ways in which dental institutions are addressing the .
Wisconsin Sees Movement on Medicaid Expansion, Missouri Creates Health Care Coverage Task Force

 

Democratic lawmakers in Wisconsin to renew their push to expand Medicaid in the state. While this effort is supported by Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI), it has in multiple instances by the Republican-controlled legislature. The renewed push would involve a standalone bill to expand Medicaid eligibility to 133% above the federal poverty level, up from 100%. If the state elects to further expand Medicaid, it would become eligible to receive 90% of its funding for expansion populations from the federal government.

 

In Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson (R) signed an executive order to create a task force that would explore a under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which could also include a proposal for expanding Medicaid. The task force’s goal in developing the waiver is to drive down health care costs and make the marketplace more competitive for consumers. Other states have adopted a similar strategy of applying for a waiver that allows them to expand Medicaid on their own terms, instead of following the guidelines set forth in the ACA. Recommendations from the task force could impact Missouri’s health care exchange as well as potentially allowing for Medicaid to cover more Missouri citizens.

 

Gov. Parson said he to expanding Medicaid as provided under the ACA because he believed Missouri’s Medicaid system is “broken.”
Trump Administration Will Disqualify Some Permanent Resident-status Applicants on Public Charge Grounds

 

The Trump Administration published a final rule on Aug. 14 in the regarding what is known as “public charge.” It is a "term of art" encompassing policies that would deny admission to the United States and permanent resident status to those who have received, or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) determines might receive, a public benefit, i.e., Medicaid, nutritional assistance, public housing assistance, etc.

 

Those who have studied the proposed rule state that it will lead to many more individuals not having health care coverage. They argue it could also lead to keeping families apart or splitting families now living together, as parents must choose whether to leave the U.S. and take their U.S.-citizen children with them, or leave the children behind so that they may receive proper care.

 

The proposed rule was overwhelmingly opposed by the 260,000 comments received, including by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, hospitals, health provider groups, and local Chambers of Commerce. ADEA also joined with the Partnership for Medicaid in December 2018 in opposition to the proposed rule.

 

The rule states that if an individual has been a public charge for any 12 of the past 36 months, then they are disqualified from attaining permanent resident status. If DHS determines that an individual might become a public charge, that person is denied entry into the United States.

 

The final rule is effective on Oct. 15.

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.

 

©2019

American Dental Education Association

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA

ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer

 

Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.

ADEA Director of State Relations and Advocacy

 

Ambika R. Srivastava, M.P.H.

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

 

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