American Dental Education Association
Volume 1, No. 78, September 22, 2020
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.
Lost Clinic Revenue
Provider Relief Fund portal [ [link removed] ] and user guide [ [link removed] ]
August 11 – ADEA letter [ [link removed] ] regarding Dental School Clinic Reimbursement
May 1 – Joint letter [ [link removed] ] with the Partnership for Medicaid on fund reimbursement for Medicaid providers.
Other COVID Issues
Sep 4 – ADEA Comments [ [link removed] ] on Equitable Distribution of Vaccines
Aug 5 – Joint letter [ [link removed] ] regarding COVID-19 Loan Programs
Dental School COVID Related Capital Needs
Aug 5 – Joint letter [ [link removed] ] Regarding Institutional Aid
Additional Resources
ADEA webinar [ [link removed] ] on State Advocacy
NHSC Service Loan Repayment Program user guide [ [link removed] ] and application portal [ [link removed] ]
For a full list of ADEA Letters and Policy Memos, click here [ [link removed] ] .
Trump Administration Issues New Drug Pricing Executive Order
President Trump issued the “Lowering Drug Prices by Putting America First [ [link removed] ] ” executive order on Sept. 13. The new executive order repeals the original and expands the drugs covered by Trump’s proposed “most favored nations” pricing plan to include both Medicare Parts B and D drugs. Under this executive order, Medicare would not pay more for drugs than the lower prices paid by other developed nations.
On July 24, President Trump signed a drug pricing executive order. Though the text of this order was never released, the White House stated that it would peg drug prices for Americans against those in other countries. Trump delayed implementation of the order after Aug. 25 to give pharmaceutical companies time to negotiate with the White House in hopes of reaching an agreement on drug prices. No agreement was reached and, as a result, this new executive order was issued.
The pharmaceutical industry strongly opposes both the July 24 and the Sept. 13 drug pricing executive orders.
The new order calls on the Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to “immediately take appropriate steps to implement his rulemaking plan to test a payment model,” putting in place the “most favored nations” policy.
However, it is unclear if the most recent executive order will take effect prior to the end of President Trump’s current term due to the lengthy rulemaking process that will be required.
California Legislature Passes Bill to Create Due Process for Fired or Disciplined Dental and Medical Interns
On Sept. 10, the California State Legislature sent a bill [ [link removed] ] to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) that provides an opportunity for dental and medical interns and residents to challenge termination of employment or disciplinary action. Under the final version of the bill, an employee must exhaust any administrative or academic grievance processes that are available before exercising a challenge. If a challenge is exercised by an employee, the challenge will be heard by a panel consisting of a designee of the exclusive representative, a designated representative of the graduate medical education program and an impartial hearing officer or arbitrator. The panel will be granted the power to provide a full remedy for termination or discipline without just cause.
The bill does not apply to a termination of employment or disciplinary action based on certain academic or clinical matters. The bill defines academic or clinical matters as “matters that relate to an employee’s acquisition of core competencies and the development of the clinical skills necessary to function at the level of the employee’s credential for licensure, practice or board certification in the academic discipline or medical specialty.”
According to the bill’s author [ [link removed] ] , the legislation “provides minimum rights in matters regarding termination of employment and discipline for a group of employees that currently are not afforded employment rights.”
Montana Releases Report on Impacts of Medicaid Expansion
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) touted his state’s expanded Medicaid program [ [link removed] ] as a boon to the economy when he released a report on the program on Sept. 15. The report [ [link removed] Reports and Studies/Medicaid-Report-2020.pdf ] lays out the various metrics used to assess the impact on an expanded Medicaid program. The Montana Departments of Revenue, Labor and Industry as well as Health and Human Services, which published the report, found that 59% of businesses had workers enrolled in Medicaid and that a further 70% of individuals who were eligible for Medicaid were working. The program accounts for an additional $600 million in state revenue. The report also reflects the environment of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that those who qualify for Medicaid are more likely to be unemployed as a result of the pandemic.
The report had been commissioned in advance of the 2019 legislative session to provide data and guidance as the Montana State Legislature considered reauthorizing the program. Ultimately, the legislature did renew the expansion [ [link removed] ] , but with additional work requirement stipulations. The new work requirements have been submitted to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are currently awaiting approval before implementation.
CMS Withdraws Proposed MFAR Rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) withdrew the proposed Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation (MFAR) rule [ [link removed] ] . The rule was published in November and would have overhauled the payment arrangements states could use to raise their matching grants for the Medicaid program—funding that is then matched by the federal government. It was widely opposed by conservative and liberal states, hospitals, insurers, patient advocates and a bipartisan mix of members of Congress.
The decision to withdraw the rule was announced via CMS’ twitter [ [link removed] ] account. It noted that the rule was being withdrawn because of the “concerns that have been raised by our state and provider partners about potential unintended consequences of the proposed rule, which require further study.”
The Trump administration initially expressed concern over methods some states used to raise the state matching funds required for participation in the federal Medicaid program. The administration questioned practices such as taxing providers to help raise matching funds.
The proposed rule was intended to address the administration’s concerns. Specifically, it was “designed to increase transparency in Medicaid financing and ensure that taxpayer resources support the health care needs of our beneficiaries,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said.
Many in the health care industry opposed the proposed rule. They warned the rule could lead to massive cuts in Medicaid because states would struggle to raise the required matching funds, which would lead to cuts in coverage and cuts to providers.
ADEA State Calendar [ [link removed] ]
ADEA Washington Calendar [ [link removed] ]
ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [link removed] ]
Key Federal Issues [ [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.
©2020
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
202-289-7201, 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
Brian Robinson
ADEA Program Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations
[email protected] [ [link removed] ]
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