AAOMS says, “Advocate!“
Pending Legislation that Affects OMS
- Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act
- Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA)
- Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act
Support student loan debt relief for OMS residents! (HR 1554)
Decreased availability of subsidized student loans combined with higher student loan interest rates have resulted in a significant increase in student debt for OMS’s making it challenging for them to work in underserved areas, or in faculty and research positions.
An OMS going through a four-year residency program who averages $350,000 in unsubsidized student loans after completing dental school (at the current 6 percent average graduate loan interest rate) will pay more than $90,000 of additional interest over those four years. This figure will climb for the nearly 40 percent of OMSs enrolled in programs allowing both a dental and a medical degree.
The Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act (HR 1554) introduced March 6, 2019, would allow borrowers to qualify for interest-free deferment on their student loans while serving in a medical or dental internship or residency program.
REDI was presented by Reps. Brian Babin (R-Texas), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Andy Harris (R-Md.), Bill Posey (R-Fla.) and Steve Stivers (R-Ohio).
Support insurance coverage for patients with craniofacial anomalies! (S 560/HR1 379)
Most health plans provide coverage for the surgical treatment of congenital anomalies and many states require insurers to provide coverage for any health services related to congenital anomalies or birth defects.
Despite this, health plans often deny claims and appeals for oral- or dental-related procedures (such as orthodontia and implants), claiming they’re cosmetic services or that they’re covered by dental plans.
The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA) introduced Feb. 26, 2019, would require health insurers, including ERISAplans, to cover medically necessary services including dental treatment for patients with congenital anomalies.
ELSA is bipartisan legislation presented by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sherrod Brown (R-Ohio) as well as U.S. Reps. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), and Cynthia Axne (D-Iowa).
Support federal antitrust reform legislation! (S 350/HR 1418)
The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act (S 350/HR 1418) amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act and revokes the federal antitrust exemption for health and dental insurance companies. In so doing, it prohibits unfair competitive business practices in the health insurance industry. HR 1418 was presented in February 2o19 by U.S. Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and U.S. Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Peter DiFazio (D-Ore.).