Empire Dental Political Action Committee
The Empire Dental Political Action Committee (EDPAC) is the bipartisan voice of thousands of New York State dentists. Together, it helps elect candidates to state office who understand the importance of dentistry and dentistry’s unrelenting commitment to improving oral health care in New York State.
Over 90 percent of New York State Dental Association members make voluntary contributions to EDPAC through their annual NYSDA dues. Many members also donate additional funds, above and beyond the basic contribution, by participating in the Capital Club, Liberty Level or Honor Roll.
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American Dental Political Action Committee
Recent Legislative Victories in 2020
NATIONAL
McCarran-Ferguson
The Senate on Dec. 22 voted to repeal the McCarran-Ferguson antitrust exemption for health insurance companies by passing HR 1418, the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act. The House passed the bill on Sept. 21. President Donald J. Trump is expected to sign the bill into law later this week.
The ADA has been a “longtime advocate of this bill that would reform the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945 to ensure that health insurance companies are subject to the same federal antitrust laws that nearly all other industries must comply with in the U.S.,” the Association wrote in an email to dental leaders.
Read the full article in the ADA News:
COVID Relief Package
Your advocacy has paid off!
After thousands of grassroots emails from ADA members, as well as extensive lobbying from the ADA’s Government Affairs team, Congress has passed an end of the year package. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 funds the government through the end of fiscal year 2021 and also includes COVID relief. The President is expected to sign this bill into law soon.
The bill contains numerous key provisions of significant importance to you, your practice and your patients, including:
·Making expenses paid for with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans tax deductible.
·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.
For more detailed information:
https://www.ada.org/~/media/CPS/Files/COVID/ADA_ADCPA_SBA_Loan.pdf
NEW YORK STATE
Dental Health Parity
On December 15, the dental telehealth parity bill -- A.10034 (Gottfried) / S.7879 (Rivera) -- passed unanimously by the Legislature, was signed into law by the Governor as Chapter 328 of the Laws of 2020.This is a bill directed at so-called “do-it-yourself” dentistry. It requires that dental telehealth services adhere to the standards of appropriate patient care required in other dental healthcare settings and prohibits dental telehealth providers from attempting to waive liability for their services. The first section of the bill requires adherence to standards of appropriate care. It also requires that dental telehealth providers identify themselves to patients and provide their New York state license number; prohibits a dental telehealth provider from attempting to waive liability in advance of providing services; and prohibits a dental telehealth provider from attempting to prevent a patient from filing a complaint with any governmental agency or authority.
For more information:
https://nassaudental.org/news/article/Telehealth-Parity-Bill-Signed-into-Law.html
Dentists Authorized to Administer COVID Vaccine
On December 13, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order #202.82 authorizing dentists to administer novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and influenza vaccinations at designated vaccination sites supervised by either a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant.The order also applies to dental students and to dental hygienists (the dental hygienist must be certified to perform local infiltration anesthesia/nitrous oxide).
To read Governor Cuomo's complete Executive Order # 202.82, use the following link: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/no-20282-continuing-temporary-suspension-and-modification-laws-relating-disaster-emergency.
For more detailed information on NYSDA Advocacy and current legislative actions:
