AGD Capitol Connections

On July 12, 2024, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger, urging them to develop and release a set of mandatory national minimum cybersecurity standards for health care organizations.

On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce.

On June 26, 2024, the House Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee spending bill, which would allocate $185.8 billion in discretionary funding.

The AGD Advocacy Fund supports national and constituent advocacy efforts by providing resources to tackle new matters, such as legislation or legal action affecting the practice of general dentistry.

On July 13, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two proposed rules, the Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System Proposed Rule (CMS 1786-P) and the Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule (CMS-1784-P).

On July 18, 2023, the AGD and other dental organizations sent a letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6) urging them to reauthorize the Action for Dental Health (ADH) program (H.R. 3843, the Action for Dental Health Act of 2023) for 5 years (2024 through 2028).

The AGD Advocacy Fund supports national and constituent advocacy efforts by providing resources to tackle new matters, such as legislation or legal action affecting the practice of general dentistry.

On July 3, 2023, staff of Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) released a staff-level bipartisan discussion draft to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA).

By the end of June most state legislatures have ended their sessions for 2023 and adjourned for the year. In addition to medical loss ratio legislation, dentists continued to advocate for insurance reform in the state capitols.

H.R.4555, the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act, overwhelmingly passed the House by a 369-58 vote last year, but the Senate has yet to take up this important public health legislation.

In a letter led by the American Dental Association (ADA), AGD and 16 other dentist and health organizations called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to support the Medicaid Dental Benefit Act (S.3166/H.R.4439).

In a letter led by the American Dental Association (ADA), AGD and 11 other dentist and health organizations nominated Dr. Teresa Marshall to serve on the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee in response to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Federal Register notice on June 15th (87 FR 36137).

On Tuesday, the Organized Dentistry Coalition sent a letter to House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC), urging the Committee to advance several student loan reform bills and encouraging members on the Committee to cosponsor other student reform legislation pending before the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing a rule that would update its Calendar Year 2023 Physician Fee Schedule to include expanded access to dental services deemed medically necessary under Medicare.

H.R.4555, the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act, overwhelmingly passed the House by a 369-58 vote last year, but the Senate has yet to take up this important public health legislation.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced their intention to develop a proposed product standard establishing a maximum nicotine level in cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products.

The AGD joined Tobacco Free Kids and other health, medical, education, and community organizations in a letter to House appropriators urging them not to include any provisions in the fiscal year (FY) 2023 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that would weaken FDA’s authority over tobacco products.

The House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year (FY) 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill by a 32 to 24 vote last week.

On July 19, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) introduced the Medicaid Dental Benefit Act (H.R.4439), which would require all state Medicaid programs to provide mandatory adult dental and oral health services.

The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2022 funding legislation on July 15 for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS). As anticipated, the Committee has included funding for vital oral health-related programs and provisions in the FY2022 Labor-HHS package (H.R.4502).