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American Dental Education Association

Volume 2, No. 27, October 12, 2021

Major Improvements Announced to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
 
On Oct. 6, the Department of Education (ED) announced a major overhaul [ [link removed] ] of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program in response to the thousands of comments ED received from its July request for comments on the program. ED says these steps will help over 550,000 borrowers who had previously consolidated loans to receive credit for an additional 23 payments, on average. For perspective, to date only 16,000 borrowers have ever received loan forgiveness under the PSLF program.
 
The main change is to provide a limited PSLF waiver to count all prior payments made by a borrower, regardless of the loan program. The waiver extends until Oct. 31, 2022. Other changes announced are automation of PSLF eligibility and a way to correct errors and make it easier for members of the military to get credit toward forgiveness while they serve.
 
ED also published a Fact Sheet [ [link removed] ] with a more detailed summary of the changes and recommends that individuals visit the online PSLF Help Tool [ [link removed] ] for more information.

DHS Requests Comments on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program
 
On Sept. 28, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking [ [link removed] ] in the Federal Register seeking comments on a possible proposed rule regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
 
In a July 16 ruling in State of Texas, et al., v. United States of America, et al [ [link removed] ] ., a district court judge issued a permanent injunction against DHS to prevent it from operating the DACA program. (DHS has appealed the ruling.) The judge stayed the order to permit DHS to continue to defer action against most of those who already had the status and to process renewals, but not to process any new applications. The judge also remanded the DACA program to DHS for further consideration. This proposal is part of that process. Comments on the proposal are due by Nov. 28.

Statement of the American Dental Education Association Advocating a Dental Benefit in Medicare
 
The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) believes that a comprehensive dental benefit [ [link removed] ] should be part of any comprehensive public or private health care coverage plan and should be available to every person.
 
Oral health care is essential care. Congress has the historic and unprecedented opportunity to recognize that oral health is essential to whole health and warrants creating such a benefit in Medicare. We know that gum disease is related to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We know that early detection of oral cancers is fundamental to survival. We know that untreated dental abscesses can lead to death. We also know that these conditions disproportionately affect persons over 60 years of age.
 
According to the Federal Reserve report, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2020, dental care was the most frequently skipped care due to an inability to pay. Oral health services are crucial to the general health of the elderly and persons with disabilities, who often have difficulty accessing dental care. This puts them at greater risk of complications from other chronic health conditions, which leads to increased health care costs and burdens on emergency rooms which are often ill-equipped to address patients’ oral health needs.
 
We encourage the adoption of legislation that expands Medicare coverage to a broad range of oral health care services for all and provides reimbursement for those services at rates commensurate with the high quality of care provided.

Missouri Begins Enrollment Under Medicaid Expansion
 
On Oct. 1, Missouri began enrolling [ [link removed] ] individuals who are eligible for Medicaid under the state’s new expansion program. According to a press release [ [link removed] ] from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, nearly 275,000 Missouri residents are now eligible for Medicaid, and the state has received nearly 17,000 applications. Missouri will also be eligible for an additional 5% federal match over the next two years under the American Rescue Plan.
 
In August 2020, voters in the state passed a ballot initiative requiring the state to expand Medicaid eligibility to adults who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level. As reported in a previous issue of the ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] , the state legislature refused to fund the expansion and Gov. Mike Parson (R) had dropped plans for implementation until he was forced to implement the program by the Missouri Supreme Court.

Delaware Expands Provisional Licenses
 
A new law [ [link removed] ] in Delaware will allow provisional licenses to be granted to dentists who work for the state’s Division of Public Health (DPH). The law will allow individuals who hold a license in another jurisdiction and have three years of practice experience to be granted a provisional license if they are under contract with DPH. Additionally, individuals who have completed all requirements for licensure, including a Commission on Dental Accreditation-approved residency, but have not yet passed a state-based exam, are also eligible for a provisional license if they are under contract with DPH.
 
The new law is expected to help DPH recruit dentists [ [link removed] ] .

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
 • Provider Relief Fund Reporting portal [ [link removed] ]
 • ADEA memo [ [link removed] ] regarding vaccines at the state level
 • 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] ] .

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.
 
©2021
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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