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American Dental Education Association


Volume 2, No. 86, February 7, 2023

Biden Administration Set to End Public Health Emergency on May 11
 
The Biden administration announced [ [link removed] ] that it will end the Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11. The PHE, which was started during the Trump administration, has been in effect since March 2020.
 
The ending of the PHE would wind down many regulatory flexibilities. This is how it would impact the public:
 • Medicaid - With the ending of the PHE, many of Medicaid’s eligibility flexibilities will end. Though states were instructed in last year’s Omnibus bill to begin winding down the continuous eligibility requirement on April 1, the official end to the PHE further highlights the end to continuous eligibility. Five to 14 million people face the possibility of losing their coverage.
 • Telehealth - Most of the telehealth flexibilities established under the PHE will remain in effect through 2024, thanks to the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023 (Omnibus). The Omnibus extended these flexibilities through Dec. 31, 2024, regardless of the status of the PHE. Previously, these flexibilities were set to expire after 151 days after the end of the PHE.
 • Access to COVID tests, vaccines and treatment - Free access to COVID testing, vaccines and treatment would end. Private insurers would have to provide coverage for these. Medicare beneficiaries will also have to start paying for a portion of any tests. Medicaid will continue to pay for COVID tests that are ordered by a doctor, but each state will decide whether to cover at-home tests. Unless covered by state health departments or other community-based organizations, uninsured patients would have to pay out-of-pocket for COVID testing, vaccines and treatment.
 • Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) - The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary granted EUA power to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to streamline availability of new COVID-19 drugs. The end of the PHE does not affect the EUAs [ [link removed] ] that the FDA granted to some COVID-19 vaccines and antiviral drugs like Paxlovid.

The emergency declaration behind the EUAs is issued by the HHS Secretary and remains in effect until the Secretary decides to terminate it. If the emergency EUA declaration ends, then any medications authorized under it may no longer be available. The drugs would have to receive full FDA approval to make it to market again.

2023 ADEA/AADOCR/Friends of NIDCR Advocacy Day
 
On Thursday, March 30, 2023, the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR), the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR) and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) will join forces for a 2023 Advocacy Day [ [link removed] ] on Capitol Hill.
 
For the first time since 2019, this event will be held in-person on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Participants will receive a legislative briefing and training session on March 29 (in-person or virtual) that will feature speakers from Congress, the Biden Administration and the NIDCR. The following day, March 30, will be dedicated to group meetings on Capitol Hill with targeted congressional offices, including participants’ own elected officials.
 
The deadline to register [ [link removed] ] for the 2023 Advocacy Day is February 16.

Virginia Bill Would Create Workgroup to Study Issues Related to Licensure Reciprocity for Dentists and Dental Hygienists
 
The Virginia House of Representatives passed a bill [ [link removed] ] that would create a workgroup to study issues related to licensure reciprocity for dentists and dental hygienists. If passed, the bill would require the workgroup to:
 • Compare licensure requirements for dentists and dental hygienists in the Commonwealth with such requirements in other states and the District of Columbia.
 • Analyze the number of licensed dentists in the Commonwealth relative to population growth and geography.
 • Identify the risks and benefits to the public if a licensure by endorsement pathway were to exist in the Commonwealth.
 • Identify any other licensure pathways that would serve the public good.

The bill was changed significantly during a committee hearing as the originally introduced version allowed the Virginia Board of Dentistry to issue licenses to practice dentistry to applicants upon endorsement by boards of other jurisdictions with which reciprocal relations had not been established. The bill has been sent to the state’s Senate for consideration.

Alabama Medicaid Agency Proposes Dental Coverage for Pregnant Adults
 
The Alabama Medicaid Agency has proposed two new rules that would extend dental benefits to pregnant adults enrolled in Medicaid. If adopted, amendments to Rule No. 560-X-15-.01 [ [link removed] ] and Rule No. 560-X-15-.03 [ [link removed] ] would grant pregnant adults the same benefits that are currently extended to children enrolled in Medicaid. Alabama is the only state in the country that does not provide dental benefits to adults enrolled in Medicaid. Comments on the proposals must be submitted by March 7.
 
Expanding or adding dental benefits has been trending among states. In recent years, Delaware [ [link removed] ] , Hawaii [ [link removed] ] , Maine [ [link removed] ] , Maryland [ [link removed] ] , Minnesota [ [link removed] ] , Tennessee [ [link removed] ] and Virginia [ [link removed] ] have all added or expanded dental benefits for adults enrolled in Medicaid.

Mississippi House Passes Bill to Double Number Admitted to Rural Dental Scholarship Program
 
The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a bill [ [link removed] ] that would increase the number of students admitted to the Mississippi Rural Dental Scholarship Program [ [link removed] of Academic Affairs/For-Students/Academic Outreach Programs/Mississippi Rural Dentists Scholarship Program/Mississippi Rural Dentists Scholarship Program.html ] (MRDSP) from three to six.
 
The MRDSP identifies qualified university and college students from rural areas of the state for dental school matriculation, and consists of three distinct phases through which participants progress: undergraduate predental education, dental school and actual practice. During dental school training, MRDSP Scholars are awarded $35,000-per-year scholarship and are also given support to help them to be successful. Upon completion of dental school training, the MRDSP Scholar must enter practice at an approved practice site in a community of 10,000 or fewer located more than 20 miles from a medically served area for a period of time equal to the number of years scholarship funding was received.
 
The bill will now be sent to the State Senate for consideration. Information about similar programs across the country can be found in ADEA’s Summary of State and Federal Loan Forgiveness Programs [ [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
 • Applications open [ [link removed] ] for Ryan White Part F Dental Reimbursement Program
 • Applications open [ [link removed] ] for HRSA Dental Public Health Research Fellowship
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on teledentistry
 • 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] ] .

Key Federal Issues [ [link removed] ]

ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [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.
 
©2023
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: 202-289-7201
Website: www.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
 
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