Legislative updates from the American Student Dental Association

February 2014


From ASDA

New advocacy resources from ASDA      

  • How-to host an ADPAC drive: Watch this brief video for the basics of hosting an event at your chapter, then follow up with ADPAC Student Director Emily Tschetter, Nebraska '14, if you have questions.
  • How-to promote chapter advocacy: This how-to guide features tips for organizing advocacy events such as lunch & learns, advocacy academies, state lobby days and more.
  • Legislative pamphlet: Is your chapter preparing for an upcoming state lobby day and in need of student-specific materials? ASDA's legislative pamphlet can help inform your audience of who we are and the issues that impact dental students.
National Dental Student Lobby Day, April 7-8 in Washington, D.C. 

Register for National Dental Student Lobby Day by March 10. Get involved in advocacy and learn about what issues are important to ASDA and the profession. You'll also have dedicated time to meet with members of Congress and their staff. Download the Lobby Day 2014 agenda.


From Washington

Affordable Care Act numbers for health insurance coverage improves     

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), those who wanted coverage to begin by Jan.1, 2014 had to sign up by Dec. 23, 2013. The deadline for signing up for health insurance and avoiding a tax penalty is March 31, 2014. Social scientists and those who have studied similar government programs with a lengthy sign-up period say many people naturally procrastinate until a deadline looms. Optimists note that the number of people who chose insurance policies run by the federal government or the states, more than doubled between November and October. Skeptics, however, say those combined enrollment figures are still well below the administration's March 2014 target of 7 million new enrollees. And they add that the law's poor rollout has hurt its standing among millennials, who are generally healthy. Income from the premiums of young enrollees is essential to offset the cost of insuring more expensive, older adults.

 

Despite the current enrollment numbers, interest in the ACA appears to be growing rapidly. According to a Dec. 11 article in MedPage Today, nearly two million more consumers have applied for and been told they are eligible for a plan.  

 

From the January 2014 ADEA Washington Update.  

 

Read more about dentistry and the Affordable Care Act on ASDAnet.org. 

Department of Education launches financial aid information website
The U.S. Department of Education has launched FinancialAidToolkit.ed.gov to help answer financial aid questions. The "Financial Aid Toolkit" is a searchable, online database that consolidates financial aid resources and content in one spot on the web. It is designed to help school guidance counselors and other professionals more easily navigate the complicated area of financial aid and provide better support to students.

From the January 2014 ADEA Washington Update  

 

Read more about student debt on ASDAnet.org 

From the States  

State licensure spotlight: Michigan   

Dr. Aaron Bumann, Minnesota '13, 2011-12 regional legislative coordinator    

 

As an AEGD resident in Michigan, I will say that overall the system here is fairly simple. However, Michigan has multiple licenses for new grads depending on where you will be practicing. Download this PDF for dentist licensure instructions for the state of Michigan. In short, you will need to:

  • Send in a completed license application with payment
    • $50 for limited license (for residents)
    • $120 for practitioners
  • Apply for a controlled substances license, separate from your DEA authorization ($85)
  • Get fingerprinted for a background check
  • Send verification of any other state licenses that you hold directly to the Michigan Dental Board
  • Request that your school submit one official, final, dental school transcript to the Michigan Dental Board
  • Send your official report of NDBE scores to the Michigan Dental Board
Read more about applying for a license as a Michigan resident.

New Mexico pre-files a bill to increase the number of dental students 

On Dec. 17, Sen. Michael Padilla (D-NM) pre-filed S.B. 15. The bill appropriates $400,000 from the general fund to the Higher Education Department for expenditure in FY15 to increase the number of dental students who may participate in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) program. Additionally, any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY15 shall revert to the general fund. To learn more about the WICHE Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP), click here.

  

From the January 2014 ADEA State Update  

District of Columbia introduces pediatric dental screening bill 

On Dec. 6, Councilmembers Anita Bonds (D-DC), Yvette Alexander (D-DC), and David Grosso (I-DC) introduced legislation, titled the "Comprehensive Pediatric Dental Screening and Education Act of 2013." The proposed legislation requires the Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools and the Department of Health to implement a community health program for dental health education, screening and treatment referrals in the District of Columbia Public Schools and Public Charter Schools for children who are considered to be at medium risk or high risk of dental disease.

 

From the January 2014 ADEA State Update 

Contact:
Nancy Honeycutt, executive director
[email protected] | 312-440-2795
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