Following the release of the Senate's Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 spending bill proposals, AGD sent a letter to leaders of relevant House and Senate funding subcommittees to reaffirm support for funding critical oral health programs. Both the House and Senate versions of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) FY2022 appropriations bill contain funding for oral health-related programs and provisions.

Some of the priorities AGD included:

• Continuation of funding for General Dentistry Residency Programs and the Dental Faculty Loan Repayment program
• Increased funding for HRSA's oral health literacy awareness and education campaign
• Language bolstering the authority of HRSA's Chief Dental Officer (CDO) position
• Language urging CMS to develop guidance for State Medicaid agencies (SMAs) to ensure the accuracy of Medicaid dental provider audits.

Lawmakers recently agreed to extend the deadline to come to an agreement on an annual government funding package. On December 3, the President signed a continuing resolution (H.R.6119) to extend current funding through February 18, 2022. This extension will allow Congress and the Administration to continue negotiations on program funding levels and resolve differences between the House and Senate appropriations proposals.

Impact on General Dentistry: AGD continues to advocate for the inclusion of oral health policy provisions and sustained funding by the House and Senate in their FY2022 Labor-HHS bills. AGD is working with relevant appropriations subcommittees to ensure that Congress includes funding for programs that help improve the nation's oral health and the practice of general dentistry in the eventual compromise funding package.