{ legislative & regulatory }


Always Advocating Survey data, agenda provide momentum for next session


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lthough we are in the middle of the legislative interim, the MDA’s advo- cacy work never stops.


Recently, you received an email notifying you of a Dental Insurance Reform Survey. The MDA has not done an insurance survey in four years, and it was due time to reach out to MDA members to inquire about potential insurance issues the advocacy team might not be aware of. The survey received an in- credible response from 319 dentists. To share just a few highlghts:


• 91 percent of respondents experience regular occurring issues with third-party payers


• 78 percent experience issues with customer service and long wait times or unreturned calls


• 71 percent experience issues with down- coding


Thank you to all our members who com- pleted the survey. These results will help drive much-needed action in future sessions to help fight major insurance issues.


The Legislative Session officially begins Janu- ary 8, 2025, and the MDA Board of Trustees approved the 2025 legislative agenda at its August 2024 Board Meeting. The MDA’s top two priority items for 2025 will be Dental Loss Ratio (DLR) and the Oral Preventive Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (OPA).


In 2024, MDA introduced legislation in Missouri establishing a DLR at 85 percent for both large and small group plans. This legislation was filed later in session, and due to facing great opposition from insurance carriers as well as the climate in the legisla- ture, it did not pass. In 2025, we will re-file the legislation. Sponsors are being secured during the interim and hopefully the bill will


12 focus | FALL 2024 | ISSUE 3


be pre-filed in December, giving it a head start.


In 2021, the MDA formed an exploratory workforce committee charged with investi- gating workforce shortages within Missouri’s dental community and finding possible solu- tions. One solution discussed by the MDA for many years, with similar models successful in other neighboring states like Kansas and Illinois, is a type of expanded function dental assistant who can provide scaling on patients with specific types of periodontal health.


The creation of this new health care role — called “Oral Preventative Assistant/Expanded Function Dental Assistant” (OPA/OPA EFDA) — must be done through the legislative process. You can see the adjacent article for an update on the status of the pilot project, which directly correlates to the creation of legislation. In 2025, the MDA will pursue legislative action to create a permanent OPA EFDA in the State of Missouri after enough data has been collected from the project. Like DLR, we are working to secure sponsors and looking forward to this next step.


The MDA Board of Trustees also approved the possibility of supporting the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact should it again be filed by the American Dental Service Orga- nization. MDA supported the legislation last year, but it was ultimately defeated due to a stalemate in the Senate. The advocacy team will also continue to support and push for maintaining and increasing appropriations such as the dental Medicaid reimbursement rates, Donated Dental Services and Elks Mobile Dental Services.


Of course, everyone will be watching election results in November. Your MODentPAC has been engaged on the frontlines by delivering


more than 60 contribution checks to can- didates, as well as volunteering and having conversations with various candidates. It is important to remember the MDA’s legislative success does not happen without a strong PAC. With the new ADA membership login system, it will be easier than ever to contrib- ute monthly or one-time. I encourage you to contribute and invest in your profession. And please remember to vote on November 5!


Before we wrap up the year, Vicki, me and our Gamble & Schlemeier lobby team of Jorgen, Nikki and Grace, will attend the ADA Lobbyist Conference in December. This annual event is important because it allows states to hear valuable information from the ADA regarding issues on the federal level, such as ERISA. It also allows states to share results and experiences from previous legisla- tive sessions, which is helpful as we look to the next. We always come back with new ideas and strategies to tackle dental insur- ance reform, workforce, Medicaid and other hot-button issues in the dental profession.


The MDA has a long-standing successful leg- islative history, and our agenda items show a full plate is in store for 2025. We cannot be successful without the involvement and support from our members and their teams. Be sure to save the date for 2025 Dental Day at the Capitol on March 5! We had an outstanding attendance record last year with 80 plus attendees and hope to be as or more successful in 2025. We’ll provide more details as we move into the new year. Please reach out to me with any questions regarding our legislative efforts.


Contact Halie Payne, MDA Professional Affairs Director, at halie@ modentalmail.org.


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