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American Dental Education Association

Volume 1, No. 89, December 2, 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.
 
Dental School COVID Related Capital Needs
Sep 25 – Joint letter [ [link removed] ] in Support of Supplemental COVID-19 Relief
Aug 5 – Joint letter [ [link removed] ] Regarding Institutional Aid
 
Other COVID Issues
Nov 30 – Sign-on letter [ [link removed] ] regarding Voices of the Pandemic
Nov 20 – ADEA letter [ [link removed] ] to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
Nov 20 – Joint letter [ [link removed] ] in support of Borrower Relief extension
Nov 6 – ADEA letter [ [link removed] ] regarding inclusion of dental professionals and students in national vaccination strategy
 
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] ] .

AMA Supports a Public Option Health Insurance Plan
 
The American Medical Association (AMA) announced its support for a public option health insurance plan. The AMA House of Delegates voted to include support for a public option at its November 2020 AMA Special Meeting.
 
“A public option should not be seen as a panacea to cover the uninsured,” said AMA President Susan R. Bailey, M.D. “It should not be used to replace private insurance; rather, it can be used to maximize competition.”
 
AMA also stressed the need to advocate for the adoption of auto enrollment by the states for government-sponsored insurance and for the health exchanges.
 
However, public option health insurance plans supported by the AMA would have to meet certain standards and safeguards enumerated by the AMA. Two of the standards the AMA cites in its announcement [ [link removed] ] are:
 • Physician payments under the public option are established through meaningful negotiations and contracts. Physician payments under the public option must be higher than prevailing Medicare rates and at rates sufficient to sustain the costs of medical practice.
 • Physicians have the freedom to choose whether to participate in the public option. Public option proposals should not require provider participation or tie physician participation in Medicare, Medicaid or any commercial product to participation in the public option.

Department of Education Changes Interpretation of Foreign Gift Reporting
 
On Nov. 13, the Department of Education (ED) published [ [link removed] ] in the Federal Register a notice that as of that date, it was changing its interpretation of the reporting requirement under Section 117 [ [link removed] ] of the Higher Education Act. The section states that whenever an institution of higher education receives a gift or enters into a contract worth $250,000 or more with a foreign source when considered alone or in combination with other gifts or contracts with that foreign source within a calendar year, the institution must report it. Such events must be reported to ED on Jan. 31 or July 31, whichever more closely follows the gift or contract.
 
If such occurrences could conceivably apply to your institution’s circumstance, contact the on-campus authority on such reporting to ensure your institution is in compliance with the new interpretation.

Likely Changes to State Health Care Under Biden
 
Regular readers of the ADEA Advocate may recall from the recent state election special [ [link removed] ] that many post-election health care policy changes in states would likely come in areas where state and federal governments share control. Several areas that are ripe for change under the incoming Biden administration are Medicaid waivers [ [link removed] ] , short-term health insurance [ [link removed] ] and exchange markets established under the Affordable Care Act.
 
Michael Ollove of the Pew Charitable Trusts took a deeper look [ [link removed] ] at how the change in administration could impact these issues and others.

Kentucky Avoids Higher Education Budget Cuts, Institutions to Receive Additional $20 Million in CARES Funds
 
Last month, Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear (D) announced [ [link removed] ] that the state would be able to balance its budget without making additional cuts in funding to state agencies, which included a possible 8% cut to the state’s higher education budget. Like many other states, Kentucky was able to avoid some budget cuts thanks to the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), and the state also experienced an economic rebound during the summer.
 
On Nov. 17, Gov. Beshear announced the state’s colleges and universities would also receive an additional $20 million in funds from the CARES Act [ [link removed] ] . Aaron Thompson, President of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, said the funds would “shore up our colleges and universities at a vital time.”

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 Vaccine Has 90% Efficacy
 
AstraZeneca released [ [link removed] ] late-stage data for its coronavirus vaccine trials showing an efficacy rate between 70% to 90%, depending on dosage. The trial used two different dosing strategies. No hospitalizations or severe cases of coronavirus were reported in connection to the vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University and manufactured by AstraZeneca. The data analysis was based of trials in the United Kingdom and Brazil. Results from trials in the United States have not come in yet.
 
AstraZeneca’s vaccine is not only effective, but also has less stringent refrigeration requirements and is cheaper than its competitors by Pfizer and Moderna. The vaccine can be stored at between 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit and costs only $2.50 per dose. Pfizer’s vaccine per dose cost is $20 and Moderna’s vaccine ranges from $15 to $25 per dose. AstraZeneca’s vaccine will be the likely choice for many developing countries due to its lower price point, its efficacy and its less stringent refrigeration requirements.
 
All three vaccines still need approval by regulators.

HHS Responds to ADEA on the Provider Relief Fund
 
On Nov. 27, ADEA received a letter [ [link removed] ] from Diana Espinosa, Deputy Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, in response to a letter written by Dr. Karen P. West, ADEA President and CEO, to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar about the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). There were no answers in the response. Instead, the letter expresses HHS’s shared concern about the effect that the pandemic is having on providers, describes what the Department has done and provides a link to the PRF webpage. It closes with, “Thank you again for your feedback. As we develop future methodologies, we will consider your suggestions to expand funding to include more dental school clinic facilities.”
 
ADEA will continue to pursue possible Congressional action and educate the incoming Biden Administration on the problem regarding PRF. In the meantime, we will also continue to communicate the urgency for a resolution with the Trump Administration’s HHS officials until the formal transition occurs.

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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