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American Dental Education Association

Volume 2, No. 65, August 2, 2022
Senate COVID-19 Supplemental Appropriations Bill Proposed

 

U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) have proposed a $21-billion Emergency Supplemental funding bill to prepare for the next phase of the pandemic. Of that $21 billion, $16 billion will be used to further research and development as well as procurement of the next generation of vaccines. It will also fund procuring additional testing and therapeutic supplies ahead of the anticipated surge in U.S. cases this fall and winter. For example, the United States currently has approximately 300 million testing supplies on hand and the demand is anticipated to require 1 billion in the fall when children return to school.

 

The remaining $5 billion in supplemental funding is to be directed toward support for the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that only 19% or persons living in low-income countries have received a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. These inequities between lower and higher income countries prolong the worldwide pandemic.

Senate Appropriations Bills for Fiscal Year 2023

 

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, has released a version of each of the 12 appropriations bills for fiscal year (FY) 2023. These bills do not represent bipartisan agreement on the individual program amounts or the overall government funding levels. They represent a “Chairman’s Mark”, a funding recommendation from each of the subcommittee chairs for the programs, projects and activities contained in each bill.

 

For the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS) Subcommittee bill, Chair Sen. Patty Murray’s (D-Wash.) recommendations include the following:

  • Division of Oral Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to receive $19.8 million, the same as in fiscal year 2022 and $1 million below the House bill;
  • Oral Health Training Programs at the Health Resources and Services Administration should be allocated $42.7 million, again the same as the current fiscal year but $500,000 more than the House bill allocates;
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) to receive $526.8 million, which is an increase of $25.6 million above the FY 2022 level and $70 million above the House bill’s allocation for NIDCR; and
  • Part F Dental Reimbursement under the Ryan White Program receive $13.4 million, the same as FY 2022 and $412,000 below the House funding level for FY 2023.

The differences between the House and Senate bills will now be negotiated between the two Houses to reach a final agreement before the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30.
HHS Issues Proposed Rule to Reinstate LGBTQ Protections in Health Care

 

The Biden administration issued a that, under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity by health care providers that receive federal funding. The proposed rule applies not only to providers, but also to health insurance plans that do business through Medicare, Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act exchanges. A fact sheet regarding the proposed rule can be found .

 

The proposed rule by the Department of Health and Human Services is intended to reinstate the protections for the LGBTQ+ community that were initially established in the Affordable Care Act and subsequently repealed under the Trump administration.

 

However, this proposed rule goes further by, for the first time, extending anti-discrimination protections for patients with Medicare Part B, which covers outpatient physician care.

 

The proposed rule is currently awaiting publication in the Federal Register. Once the official proposed rule is published, there will be a 60-day comment period.

House Approves Telehealth Extensions Through 2024

 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed , the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2021, sponsored by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). This bipartisan bill extends key Medicare telehealth pandemic flexibilities through Dec. 31, 2024. The legislation passed by a vote of 416-12.

 

ADEA advocated for this longer-term extension because it provides beneficiaries and dental schools with more certainty.

 

Early in the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) waived many restrictions surrounding the use of telehealth and allowed doctors to initiate telehealth visits in patients’ homes during the public health emergency. The waivers also lifted limitations on the following:

  • The types of providers who could bill Medicare for telehealth services,
  • Where beneficiaries could receive those services and
  • The use of audio-only technology in providing telehealth services.

Currently, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 extends the Medicare pandemic telehealth provisions for 151 days after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The public health emergency was on July 15 for another 90-days through Oct. 13. H.R. 4040 further extends the provisions through Dec. 31, 2024.

 

The legislation now moves to the Senate for approval.
Canadian Government Seeks Private Stakeholder Input for Proposed National Dental Plan

 

The Canadian government has issued a (RFI) seeking input from third-party benefits providers regarding its proposed national dental plan. The government has not yet settled upon a model for implementation and is the role third-party providers could play in the program. The RFI specifically asks providers if they have the capacity to handle millions of anticipated claims. The government is also seeking information about an already existing “off-the-shelf” model that the government could adapt for the program.

 

The , which is part of deal between the Liberals and the New Democratic Party, would initially provide federal dental coverage for children under 12 who aren’t otherwise insured and have household incomes below $90,000 (CAD).

 

In 2023, the program would be expanded to children under 18, seniors and people who are living with disabilities. Full implementation of the program is expected to occur in 2025 and would extend coverage to all families with incomes below $90,000 (CAD).

Nevada Receives HRSA Grants to Grow Dental Workforce

 

The state of Nevada that its Medicaid program will receive a $1.6-million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant over the next four years to recruit and retain the state’s dental workforce. The funds will be used to create five new programs that will be used to develop oral health service delivery infrastructure by expanding who can offer services in Nevada. The five new programs created by the funding are:

  • Developing a workforce pipeline to train high school students in rural counties in dental assisting and offer apprenticeships;
  • Offering training for school nurses to provide oral health assessments, preventative fluoride, varnish and connection with dentists via teledentistry during a dental emergency on school grounds;
  • Creating the Nevada Dental Health Collaborative for dental therapists, hygienists and predental students to foster interest in dental public health;
  • Implementing an Office of Oral Health Innovation to conduct an annual needs assessment, develop training for Nevada’s dental workforce, and offer in-office support for dental professionals to advance practices around substance and opioid misuse/dependency screening and referral; and
  • Launching a community-based dental clinic in Tonopah, Nev., in collaboration with the Nevada Dental Foundation and the Northern Nye County Hospital District.

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 regarding vaccines at the state level
  • ADEA on teledentistry
  • ADEA on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
  • ADEA policy regarding overprescription of antibiotics
  • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click .

 

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.

 

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American Dental Education Association

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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

 

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