ASSOCIATION WHAT HAS THE ADA DONE FOR YOU LATELY? Most non-members and even some members are not aware of the constant effort that your ADA makes to keep you and your patients safe and help the dental profession remain strong. I would ask dentists who are non-members: What would dentistry be like if you did not have the ADA? The following are just some of the ways ADA has worked for dentists in recent months.
INSURANCE RELATED LEGISLATION
Recently – after over 10 years of effort, emails and testimony from grassroots leaders and dentists - Congress passed the bill which will reform the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945. This will ensure that health insurance companies will be subject to the same federal antitrust laws that nearly all other industries must comply with in the US. What does that mean for you? This will allow for greater transparency and oversight into the health insurance industry and hopefully more competitive pricing. Increased innovation and choices for consumers and providers may create better levels of coverage for YOU in your practices.
STATE PUBLIC AFFAIRS (SPA)
The ADA provides local support for insurance reform. Every year, states across the country spend hundreds of thousands of State Public Affairs (SPA) dollars funded by the ADA to help pass insurance legislation which helps you get paid more fairly in your practice. SPA funds have been offered for general legislation for many years. A few years ago District XI brought a resolution to the ADA House of Delegates specially allocating money to help with insurance legislation which will help every dentist in their practices every day. Out of that effort by District XI and its vision a pilot project was initiated that showed states and dentists were overwhelmingly supportive of the need for this insurance legislation help. Every year now money is put into the budget for this cause. The number of states asking for these SPA dollars has increased from 30 last year to 50 this year.
COVID-19 RELIEF
The ADA lobbied lawmakers to pass additional pandemic legislation to continue providing help for businesses devastated by the pandemic. Important provisions of recent legislation include: ● Making expenses paid for with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan tax deductible. 16
● Eliminating the requirement that PPP loan forgiveness would be reduced by the amount of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) grant that was received by the business. ● Allowing PPP borrowers to utilize the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC). The bill also increases the wage cap and percentage of eligible wages for that credit. ● Easing the forgiveness process for loan of $150,000 or less ● Allowing borrower to use PPP to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and make facility modifications for COVID-19 protection.
PRODUCT RESEARCH
The ADA Science and Research Institute (ADASRI) was developed last year as a stand-alone entity. ADASRI works to develop new products for use in practices and to test existing products for safely. Your dues dollars also help you keep your patients safe.
COVID-19 VACCINE
The ADA successfully advocated for dentists to be included in the definition of health care personnel making them eligible to be offered some of the first doses of vaccine. The ADA also urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand the scope of practice for dentists, particularly public health dentists, to administer vaccines in order to aid in the prevention and control of Covid-19. Visit www.ADA.org/virus and www.ADA.org/vaccine to access a wealth of material ADA has produced since March 2020.
ADA PRACTICE TRANSITIONS (ADAPT)
The ADA Practice Transitions (ADAPT) program helps young dentists buy a practice or find an associateship and will help older dentists, especially in rural areas, sell their practices for much less than you would pay to most transition firms. Go to www.ADA.org/ADAPT to see how to sign up get a match. It is free to create your profile on the platform.
THE ADA HAS YOUR BACK
Those of you who are responsible to your profession and pay your dues are helping the entire profession. Can you imagine how much more we could do for you if dentist who are currently non-members took responsibility, joined and helped fund all these efforts? Dr Linda Edgar WSDA News
July / August 2021
