Academy of General Dentistry Heads to Capitol Hill

  • by AGD Staff
  • May 3, 2019

Chicago, IL (05.01.2019) —The Academy of General Dentistry recently announced that about 40 of their general dentists and dental student members from across the country traveled this week, April 29 and 30 to the nation’s capital to meet with national legislators to discuss policies and issues related to dentistry.In 2018, legislators gave more attention to dental policies with the U.S. Surgeon General VADM Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adam, MD, MPH, commissioning a new Surgeon General Report on Oral Health to the Congress. The Action for Dental Health Act which amended the Public Health Service Act reauthorizing oral health promotion and disease prevention programs through FY2022 also passed. 

During their engagement with lawmakers, the group discussed the various sections of existing policies that threaten the stability of the dental industry, and legislative obstacles that create insurance barriers to reliable and consistent economic growth for dental professionals. The AGD Governmental Affairs department has identified other critical areas impacting the future growth of professionals and the expansion of the industry. During the visit to the hill AGD’s executive and constituent leaders focused on three topics with national legislators:

  1. Federal Oral Health Literacy Program – The AGD urges Congress to sponsor legislation that establishes a 5-year, evidence-based national, public education campaign focusing on oral healthcare prevention and education, including the prevention oforal diseases such as early childhood and other caries, periodontal disease, and oral cancer.Surveys concerning consumer dental practices are showing that regular visits and dental check-ups to the dentist are not considered a priority as regular visits to medical doctors. Dentists play a key role in identifying other life-threatening and chronic illnesses. A 2012 study showed that nearly one in five Americans 65 and over had untreated cavities and over 40% had gum disease. 

  2. Repeal The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2019 (McCarran Ferguson) – The AGD supports amending the McCarran Ferguson Act to empower the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to enforce federal antitrust laws against health insurance companies engaged in anticompetitive conduct, addressing the end to unfair insurance practices.It is critical to untangle the debate on determining which level of government can impose what regulations, and identifying that a lack of federal regulation can substantially create bias and pose adverse outcomes on industry providers. 

  3. Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act -The rising cost of dental education and subsequent debt among dental school students and how that debt could hinder new doctors from providing dental care to underserved populations throughout the country; Dental school tuition has doubled since 2000. Dental students dependent upon student loans reportedly have seen debt rise as high as $216k after dental school.The REDI Act allows borrowers to qualify for interest-free deferment on their student loans while serving in a medical or dental internship or residency program.
“We cannot influence legislation to improve the state of oral health in the United States if we are not engaging and discussing solutions with national lawmakers,” said AGD President Neil J. Gajjar, DDS, MAGD. “In the past year, quite a bit of attention has been on oral health legislation and by going to Washington, D.C. we can provide lawmakers with insight on the issues that are important to the AGD and our members. Our priority is to make sure that views on the issues are expressed and taken into consideration.”

As the largest association for general dentists, the AGD holds a level of responsibility to affect change concerning legislation impacting the industry. The AGD staff and attending local constituents traveling and meeting with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., positions the AGD in a place where it is possible to have on-going interaction and dialogue at the national and state levels pertaining to issues impacting general dentistry and oral health.
 

About the Academy of General Dentistry
The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a professional association of more than 40,000 general dentists dedicated to providing quality dental care and oral health education to the public. Founded in 1952, AGD is the largest association for general dentists in the world and serves the needs and represents the interests of general dentists. Learn more at agd.org.

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