NEW YORK, NY/WASHINGTON, DC, USA: As Congress prepared to adjourn for its summer recess, the American Dental Association was taking a wait-and-see approach to pending health care reform legislation. “The dental provisions they contain can best be described as the good, the bad and the undecipherable,” ADA President Dr John S. Findley told ADA News, the association’s official publication.
“Our most pressing concern is with the proposal for a government-run insurance plan that would compete with private insurers in the marketplace and private plans offered in the so-called ‘exchange,’” Dr Findley said.
Dr Findley said that a proposal to require dental coverage for children would need clarification before the ADA would support it.
“The whole concept of a public plan remains troubling, and we would oppose any plan that required dentists to participate, directly or indirectly dictated fees for the private market or would lead to a government-run system,” he said.
The ADA has continued to make its message clear through ongoing dialog with members of Congress and the administration, following the approval of policy by the ADA House of Delegates at the 2008 annual session in San Antonio.
“The ADA does not support a single-payer system because we believe it would stifle access and innovation and reduce the quality of patient care,” said Dr Findley, who pointed out that the association’s efforts in the nation’s capital are ongoing.
“We are pursuing amendments to improve the dental provisions,” he said.
Dr Findley said that flatly opposing the whole thing is not an option.
“If we aren’t highly visible in the process, we open the door to other groups who will claim to be the voice of the oral health community and attempt to dictate what kind of dental provisions get included,” he said. “As the saying goes, you are either at the table or on the menu.”
According to the ADA, the proposed legislation should be rewritten to enhance Medicaid reimbursement. Without it, Dr Findley said, there would be “no significant access improvements for the poor and other vulnerable populations.”
NEW YORK, USA/LEIPZIG, Germany: After almost a year of political negotiation, the US Congress has approved yesterday legislation to overhaul the ...
NEW YORK, NY, USA: Through 2016, the dental industry will benefit from positive demographic trends, an improving economic environment and greater access to ...
LEIPZIG, Germany/WASHINGTON, DC, USA: Over 60 per cent of Americans consider dental coverage part of an overall health care reform by the Obama legislation,...
NEW YORK, NY / WASHINGTON, DC, USA: As lawmakers in the nation’s capital debate proposed financial services reform legislation, the nation’s ...
NEW YORK, NY, USA/LEIPZIG, Germany: Dental health organisations in the United States have hailed the decision of the US Senate to recognise a number of ...
NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: Opioid abuse has reached crisis levels across the country, with 44 people dying each day from overdose of opioids and many more ...
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA: The American Dental Association (ADA) has released its inaugural “Action for Dental Health: Report to Congress,” which ...
CHICAGO, IL / NEW YORK, NY, USA: The American Dental Association (ADA) is extending invitations to those concerned about the oral health of vulnerable ...
NEW YORK CITY, NY, USA: The Indian Health Service (IHS), the federal health program in the United States for American Indians and Alaska Natives, is getting...
SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA: The California Dental Association Foundation’s free dental clinic, CDA Cares, provided more than $1.3 million in charitable ...
Live webinar
Thu. 18 July 2024
8:00 PM EST (New York)
Live webinar
Tue. 6 August 2024
6:00 PM EST (New York)
Live webinar
Tue. 13 August 2024
7:00 PM EST (New York)
Live webinar
Wed. 14 August 2024
12:30 PM EST (New York)
Live webinar
Wed. 21 August 2024
9:00 AM EST (New York)
Dr. Jim Lai DMD, MSc(Perio), EdD, FRCD(C)
Live webinar
Wed. 28 August 2024
8:00 PM EST (New York)
Live webinar
Mon. 2 September 2024
5:00 AM EST (New York)
To post a reply please login or register