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American Dental Education Association


Volume 2, No. 84, January 24, 2023

16M Enrolled in the ACA Marketplaces During the Open Enrollment Period
 
Sixteen million people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces during the most recent open enrollment period [ [link removed] ] , which ended on Jan. 15. Over 1.8 million more people have signed up for health insurance, or a 13% increase, from this time last year. Though the federal marketplace’s open enrollment period ended on Jan. 15, some state-based marketplaces remain open until the end of the month [ [link removed] ] . The final enrollments numbers will likely be adjusted upward once the remaining state-based marketplaces close.
 
“Ninety-two percent of HealthCare.gov enrollees will have access to options from three or more insurance companies when they shop for plans. Also, new standardized plan options are available in 2023 through HealthCare.gov, which help consumers compare and select plans,” noted the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS went on to say, “[s]tandardized plans offer the same deductibles and cost-sharing for certain benefits, and the same out-of-pocket limits as other standardized plans within the same health plan category. Most of these standardized plan options offer many services pre-deductible, including primary care, generic drugs, preferred brand drugs, urgent care, specialist visits, mental health and substance use outpatient office visits, as well as speech, occupational, and physical therapy.”
 
The increased enrollment is attributed to the significant increase in marketplace subsidies provided in the Inflation Reduction Act. As a result, marketplace consumers saw their average monthly premium significantly decrease compared to the 2021 enrollment period.

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 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.

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Dental Reimbursement Program Now Open
 
The application cycle for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program [ [link removed] ] Part F Dental Reimbursement is now open through March 10. This program aims to improve access to oral health services for low-income people living with HIV and to promote training related to the delivery of dental care to people living with HIV. This opportunity is open to accredited dental education institutions and programs. The estimated award date is September 2023.

CMS Issues Guidance to States on Medicaid Recertifications
 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) issued guidance [ [link removed] ] on the resumption of Medicaid eligibility checks. Since the start of the public health emergency, in order to receive federal matching funds, state Medicaid programs have been prohibited from conducting eligibility checks. However, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, also known as the Omnibus Bill, lifts the prohibition on recertifying Medicaid eligibility and requires states to begin the recertification process as of April 1.
 
The guidance issued outlines the types of documentation the agency will require states to provide as Medicaid programs begin the recertification process. Before the process can start, CMS wants states to submit documents that lay out the state’s recertification plans, including system readiness plans, to help it ensure renewals are processed in a timely and efficient manner. The guidance also lays out the due dates for the various required recertification documentation.
 
This is the first in a series of guidance that CMS will issue regarding the restarting of the recertification process.

Medicaid Expansion Debates Continue in States Across the Country
 
While most states have expanded Medicaid eligibility to include individuals who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL), 11 states still have not. In some of those states, action and robust debate is expected in 2023.
 
In Wyoming [ [link removed] ] , legislation to expand Medicaid [ [link removed] ] has passed the state’s House Revenue Committee and will be headed to the House floor for debate. Similar legislation passed the state House last year but failed to move after being referred to the state Senate.
 
In Georgia [ [link removed] ] , Gov. Brian Kemp (R) is planning to proceed with a partial expansion of Medicaid to include individuals who earn up to 100% FPL. Georgia’s partial expansion will include a work requirement, which Georgia successfully sued the Biden administration to include in its program. Additionally, people with incomes above 50% FPL will be required to pay premiums. Dental coverage can be purchased through “member rewards” points, which can be earned through engagement in certain healthy behaviors.
 
Georgia’s request to receive full federal funding of its partial expansion was denied by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In states that implement full Medicaid expansion, the federal government provides 90% of the funds for expansion populations, but because Georgia’s request was denied, the state will only receive 67% of the funding. This will result in the state paying more per person than it would if it had implemented full Medicaid expansion as allowed under the Affordable Care Act. While Democrats in the state legislature have prioritized full Medicaid expansion, Jon Burns (R), the state’s House Speaker, has stated he does not intend to take up full expansion [ [link removed] ] during this year’s legislative session.
 
Lawmakers in North Carolina [ [link removed] ] are expected to seriously consider Medicaid expansion this year. Both chambers of the legislature passed bills that would have expanded the program last year, but disagreements [ [link removed] ] over certificate of need reform and increased autonomy for some mid-level providers prevented the two chambers from passing the same bill.
 
In Kansas [ [link removed] ] , Gov. Laura Kelly (D) has once again made Medicaid expansion a top priority for her administration. Medicaid expansion has been hotly debated in Kansas over the last several years and nearly became law. In 2017, a bill to require expansion was vetoed [ [link removed] ] by then Gov. Sam Brownback (R). In 2020, Kelly worked out a bi-partisan deal with Republican leadership in the Senate, but a debate over abortion killed the bill [ [link removed] ] ; State Senate President Susan Wagle (R) refused to bring the Medicaid expansion bill to the floor for a vote unless the legislature passed a constitutional amendment that would have overturned a Kansas Supreme Court ruling that found the Kansas Constitution protects the right to have an abortion.

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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