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American Dental Education Association

Volume 2, No. 48, April 5, 2022

ADEA 2022 Virtual Capitol Hill Day
 
Join us for our 2022 ADEA Virtual Hill Day on April 20 to express your support for the following issues:
 • Protect Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
 • Preserve Title VII Oral Health Training Programs.
 • Promote across-the-board student loan forgiveness.

Due to the coronavirus, congressional offices are currently closed to the public, but that does not mean you cannot connect with your representatives and senators. Virtually connect with Members of Congress to let them know why protecting funding for NIH, preserving Title VII Oral Health Training Programs and promoting across-the-board student loan forgiveness are important to you. Let your voice be heard!
 
Register online [ [link removed] ] by Friday, April 8.

Biden Administration Launches its COVID-19 Website
 
The Biden administration launched [ [link removed] ] its COVID-19 one-stop-shop website [ [link removed] ] where people can get information on COVID-19 vaccine locations, tests, treatments and masks. The website will be crucial to controlling COVID-19 as states and federal governments winddown their pandemic efforts. The site also offers tools and information on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. One example of information offered on the site is the Test-to-treat locator [ [link removed] ] , where an individual can enter their location and find places in their area that provide COVID-19 testing and medication.

HHS Secretary: NIH Will House New Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, Director Will Report Directly to HHS Secretary
 
President Biden’s new, innovative, biomedical research agency, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), will be established under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) umbrella; it will not be a stand-alone agency. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra informed Congress of ARPA-H’s placement during a hearing last week on the HHS fiscal year (FY) 2023 Budget before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee. (President Biden’s FY2023 budget was released March 28.)
 
Under Becerra’s plan, the ARPA-H Director will report directly to Becerra, in a nod to the House’s desire for ARPA-H to have autonomy and not be weighed down by the slow, bureaucratic processes of NIH. Though ARPA-H will have its own Director, staff and grant-making authority, NIH will perform “the administrative work” for ARPA-H, such as human resources, payroll and legal services. Finally, ARPA-H will be physically located separately from the NIH campus.
 
The Senate was concerned about the cost of duplicative efforts of an independent ARPA-H and whether ARPA-H would lose access to NIH’s expertise if it were to be an independent agency. Because NIH will be performing ARPA-H’s administrative work, this will eliminate duplicative concerns, and because it is housed under NIH, ARPA-H will still have access to NIH’s expertise. It is not clear whether Congress will accept Secretary Becerra’s new plan for ARPA-H.
 
The 2022 omnibus spending bill signed by President Biden in March provides $1 billion for HHS to establish ARPA-H. It also allows the HHS Secretary to establish ARPA-H as an independent agency outside of NIH but under HHS or it authorizes the transfer of the new entity to any agency within HHS, including NIH, within 30 days of the bill’s enactment.

New Law Extends Medicaid Oral Health Postpartum Coverage
 
The importance of good oral health care during and after pregnancy is well established. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [ [link removed] ] , 60 to 75% of pregnant women have gingivitis. Periodontitis has been associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight.
 
As of April 1, states may now cover a full year postpartum of oral health and other health care to as many as 720,000 pregnant and postpartum women nationwide. This coverage could be guaranteed for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicaid covers 42% of all births in the nation, and now there is this new option for states to extend Medicaid and CHIP coverage because of a provision in the American Rescue Plan signed into law last year (Public Law 117-2).
 
Previously, states were required to use the time-consuming Sec. 1115 waiver authority procedure to offer this coverage. Under the new provision, a state may do so by changing their state Medicaid plan. Louisiana is the first state CMS is approving to take advantage of this new state plan opportunity under the new law. CMS is also working with an additional nine states to extend postpartum coverage. In 2021, Illinois, New Jersey and Virginia were the first states to use Medicaid demonstration authority to provide 12 months of continuous postpartum coverage for all Medicaid and CHIP enrollees.
 
Other states interested in learning about extending postpartum coverage through the new law can contact their CMS state lead or consult the state health official letter [ [link removed] ] CMS issued in December 2021.

Oklahoma Senate Passes Modifications to Dental Practice Act, Includes Manikin-based Licensure Exams
 
On March 22, the Oklahoma Senate passed a bill [ [link removed] ] that made numerous changes to the state’s Dental Practice Act. Highlights of those changes include:
 • Allowing a dental exam to be conducted on a manikin instead of a live patient,
 • Authorizing the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry to issue a special volunteer license for any live patient training approved by the Board,
 • Authorizing the Board to penalize any license holder who falls below the basic standard of care of a licensed dentist or a dentist practicing in their specialty as well as for failing to provide patient records,
 • Allowing a dentist who resides in Oklahoma but does not currently practice in the state to maintain a state license while also not carrying malpractice insurance, provided the dentist signs an affidavit stating they are not practicing dentistry and
 • Clarifying that practices of dentistry shall not preclude or prohibit the sale of any teeth whitening kit designed for self-administration.

The bill has been sent to the Oklahoma House of Representatives for consideration.

Maryland Senate Passes Bill Requiring State Medicaid Program to Provide Dental Benefits to Adults
 
On March 21, Maryland took a significant step toward providing dental benefits for adults enrolled in Medicaid. By unanimous vote, the Maryland Senate passed legislation [ [link removed] ] that would require the state Medicaid program to provide dental services—including diagnostic, preventive, restorative and periodontal services—to all adults whose annual income is at or below 133% of the federal poverty level.
 
While the state launched a pilot program [ [link removed] ] that provided dental coverage for adults who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in 2019, Maryland has remained one of only three states that did not offer any dental benefits to other adults enrolled in Medicaid.
 
The bill has been sent to the Maryland House of Delegates for consideration.

Georgia Legislature Votes to Add Dental Education Representation to State Dental Board
 
The Georgia General Assembly will send a bill [ [link removed] ] to Gov. Brian Kemp (R) that would expand the Georgia Board of Dentistry from 11 to 17 members. Additionally, the bill also reserves a place on the Board for a state resident appointed by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia who has direct knowledge of the education of dental students in the state. If signed into law, the bill would also increase the number of seats reserved for dental hygienists from one to two.

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 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] ] .

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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