From ADEA:
STATEMENT OF SANDRA C. ANDRIEU, M.Ed., Ph.D.
President
American Dental Education Association
On the Passage of Health Care Reform Legislation
March 21, 2010
Two years ago, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) entered the national debate on reforming the U.S. health care system. The cornerstone of ADEAs position, as approved by the ADEA House of Delegates in March 2009, was that any comprehensive health care reform proposal should provide universal coverage to all Americans and access to high-quality, cost effective oral health care services.
Tonight, the House of Representatives approved health care reform legislation (H.R. 3590 and H.R. 4872) that will affect significant and positive change in our health care system and shatter the status quo. It is not a perfect response to ADEAs advocacy. It is, unquestionably, a critical step in the right direction. The legislation extends coverage to nearly all U.S. citizens, includes important provisions related to improving their oral health, addresses key issues of importance to academic dental institutions, and is entirely compatible with the Guiding Principles for Health Care Reform adopted by ADEAs House of Delegates.
In our judgment, the benefits that our fellow citizens will accrue from this legislation certainly outweigh its imperfections. The age-old admonition not to allow the good to be the enemy of the perfect holds especially true today. The American Dental Education Association, therefore, is pleased with the outcome of the lengthy congressional debate. We applaud the efforts of the House of Representatives and the Obama Administration in passing this historic legislation. The U.S. Senate should quickly pass the reconciliation bill, H.R. 4872, to conclude the health care reform legislative process.
Containing significant provisions for which ADEA has been advocating, the health care reform legislation approved today by the House of Representatives will:
Require insurance plans to include pediatric oral health services for children up to 21 years of age
Require essential health benefits package to include: ambulatory patient services; emergency services; hospitalization; maternity and newborn care; mental health and substance use disorders; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; laboratory services; prevention and wellness services and chronic disease management; pediatric services, including oral and vision care
Expand Medicaid eligibility for adults and children
Increase federal support to states to pay for expanded Medicaid coverage
Extend the Children Health Insurance Program for five years
Establish an oral health prevention program and fund states to develop oral health leadership
Enhance oral health data systems
Improve the delivery of oral health
Implement dental sealants, water fluoridation and preventive programs
Establish a five-year national, public education campaign focused on oral health care prevention and education and targeted to certain populations, including children, the elderly, and pregnant women
Award demonstration grants in consultation with professional oral health organizations to eligible entities to demonstrate the effectiveness of research-based dental caries disease management activities
Authorize the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) to review payments for dental services in Medicaid and CHIP
Establish a process for updating payments to dental health professionals
Reaffirm that dentists will be members of the Commission
Establish a separate dental section and funding line of $30 million for training in general, pediatric, and public health dentistry
Increase eligibility for new grant programs in the Title VII Health Professions Programs to train dental and allied dental health professionals
Make dental schools eligible for federal grants for pre-doctoral training, faculty development, dental faculty loan repayment, and academic administrative units, grants currently available only to medical schools
Modify current law to allow hospitals to count dental and medical resident time spent in didactic (scholarly) activities toward Indirect Medical Education (IME) costs in hospital settings and toward Direct Graduate Medical Education (D-GME) in non-hospital settings (dental school clinics)
Extend the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and increase funding for its scholarship and loan repayment program by $2.7 billion over five years
Reauthorize the Indian Health Service (HIS) and allow for the election by Indian tribes and tribal organizations in a State to employ dental health aide therapists when authorized under State law
Authorize grants to establish training programs for alternative dental health care providers to increase access to dental health care services in rural, tribal, and underserved communities
Reauthorize the Centers of Excellence (COE) program which develops a minority applicant pool to enhance recruitment, training, academic performance and other support for minorities interested in careers in health and fund it at $50 million
Increase funding from $37 million to $51 million over five years for Health Professions Training for Diversity which provides scholarships for disadvantaged students who commit to work in medically underserved areas as primary care providers, and expands loan repayments for individuals who will serve as faculty in eligible institutions
Exempt dental coverage from the premium amounts subject to excise tax on high cost insurance plans
For two years, the American Dental Education Association has raised its voice in the halls of Congress and at the White House in support of systemic health care reform that includes essential oral health benefits for all Americans. The reform that has been set into motion today is, ADEA believes, the beginning of creating such a system and fulfilling our vision.
