U.S. House Hearing on Medicare Advantage Jul 23, 2025 On July 22, 2025, the U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means, Health and Oversight Subcommittees held a joint hearing entitled, Medicare Advantage: Past Lessons, Present Insights, Future Opportunities.
CMS Releases Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule Jul 23, 2025 On July 14, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its Calendar Year (CY) 2026 proposed rule for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS). In the proposed rule, CMS proposed changes to the physician payment conversion factor and included other key updates that impact primary care and Medicare services.
AGD Participates in the American Legislative Exchange Council Annual Meeting Jul 23, 2025 From July 17th through 19th Dr. Gordon Isbell, DMD, MAGD and AGD staff attended the Annual Meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC is a national organization of state legislators dedicated to free markets, limited government and federalism.
Senate HELP Committee to Vote on CDC Nominee Susan Monarez Jul 9, 2025 On July 9, 2025, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination of Dr. Susan Monarez to serve as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
President Trump Signs Reconciliation Bill into Law Jul 9, 2025 On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law a reconciliation bill that enacts significant changes to federal health care programs and tax policy. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) passed the U.S. Senate on July 1 with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote before being passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 3 by a vote of 218-214.
SUPPORT Act Reintroduced in the Senate Jun 25, 2025 On June 18, 2025, U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) reintroduced the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act.
AGD Leads Organized Dentistry Coalition Letter on Water Fluoridation on Overseas Bases Jun 25, 2025 On June 20, 2025, AGD sent an Organized Dentistry Coalition letter urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to maintain current water fluoridation levels on overseas military bases. The AGD initiated letter highlights the role of water fluoridation as a cost-effective public health measure essential to preventing dental disease and supporting military readiness.
Senate HELP and Finance Committees Release Reconciliation Texts Jun 25, 2025 On June 11, 2025, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released its portion of the budget reconciliation bill, which includes several provisions mirroring those in the reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on May 22.
NADCRC Convenes to Discuss Budget, Research Advances, and Future of Dental Science Jun 11, 2025 On May 28, 2025, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) held the 239th Meeting of the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council (NADCRC).
House Passes Bill Reauthorizing SUPPORT Act Jun 11, 2025 On June 4, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025, by a vote of 366-57. Originally enacted in 2018, the SUPPORT Act authorized funding for community-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery programs, many of which expired in 2023.
TAKE ACTION: Urge the Senate to Preserve the PTET Deduction Jun 11, 2025 Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its reconciliation package containing a harmful provision that would increase taxes on small business dental practices. If enacted, the legislation would prevent these practices from deducting state-level pass-through entity taxes (PTET) on their federal returns.
FDA Moves to Eliminate Fluoride-Based Prescription Drugs for Children from Market May 28, 2025 On May 13, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market. These supplements, which have been widely used to help prevent tooth decay in non-fluoridated areas, will undergo a final safety review before the FDA takes action.
MAHA Commission Releases Preliminary Report May 28, 2025 On May 22, 2025, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, established by the Trump Administration, released a preliminary report assessing the causes of childhood chronic disease.
House Passes Budget Bill with Restrictions on Student Loans and PTET deductions May 28, 2025 On May 22, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its budget reconciliation package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), by a vote of 215-214-1. The bill addresses multiple policy priorities for President Trump and Congressional Republicans, including an extension of expiring tax cuts under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and significant reforms to state-level financing mechanisms and beneficiary eligibility of Medicaid.
Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act Seeks to Ensure Coverage for Children Born with Congenital Anomalies or Birth Defects May 14, 2025 On May 8, 2025, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), alongside Representatives Kim Schrier (D-WA-08) and Neal Dunn (R-FL-02), reintroduced the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA), which would require all private health insurance plans to cover medically necessary treatments for congenital anomalies or birth defects.
SUPPORT Act Reported Out of House Energy & Commerce Committee May 14, 2025 On April 29, 2025, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a full committee mark-up of six health care-related bills, including the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R.2483).
AGD Advocates for Oral Health Policy Priorities on Capitol Hill May 14, 2025 During the week of May 5, 2025, AGD advocates and leadership traveled to Washington, D.C. to engage policymakers on key dental health issues.
MATE Improvement Act Seeks to Include AGD as an Approved Training Provider for Prescribers of Opioids Apr 30, 2025 In 2023, the President signed the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. This legislation established a new requirement that prescribers of certain controlled substances complete a one-time, eight-hour training before registering or renewing their registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Bipartisan Call for Independent Investigation into Medicare Advantage Organizations Apr 30, 2025 On April 16, 2025, Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and Health Subcommittee member Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) called for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the vertical consolidation of Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations (MAO) and its impact on Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) calculations.
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Plans to End CDC Recommendations for Community Drinking Water Fluoridation Apr 16, 2025 On April 7, 2025, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the Associated Press that he plans to tell public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending the fluoridation of community drinking water as part of his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.