In the weeks leading up to the American Dental Association (ADA) Annual Session in October, the Georgia Delegation to the ADA House of Delegates grew increasingly worried about how the various health care reform bills circulating in Congress could affect dentists, their practices, and their patients. Many delegates were also hearing concerns from dentists in their communities that the ADA was not taking a strong enough stance on reform.
“The Delegation had a feeling that we needed to take our concerns to the Fifth Trustee District, and then on to the ADA House,” said GDA Delegation Chair Dr. Richard Weinman. “We felt that it was imperative that the House send a message to the membership that the ADA’s stance on reform needed to recognize the potential impact on members.”
The other states within the Fifth Trustee District, Alabama and Mississippi, agreed with the GDA Delegation, and the Fifth took its message to the ADA House. The result was the passage, by a 447 to 1 margin, of Resolution 60RC that reads:
Resolved, that in addition to existing association policy (Universal Healthcare Reform Trans.2008:433)*, the ADA shall also advocate that any health care reform proposal:
• Maintains the private health care system;
• Should increase opportunities for individuals to obtain health insurance coverage in all U.S. jurisdictions;
• Assures that insurance coverage is affordable, portable and available without regard to preexisting health conditions;
• Develops prevention strategies that encourage individuals to accept responsibility for maintaining their health and which may reduce costs to the health care system;
• Be funded in a sustainable, budget neutral manner that does not include a tax on health care delivery;
• Exempts small business employers from any mandate to provide health coverage;
• Include incentives for individuals and employers to provide health insurance coverage;
• Contain medical liability (tort) and insurance reforms; and
• Encourage the use of electronic health records with rigorous privacy standards;
and be it further
Resolved, that the ADA shall direct its lobbying efforts to assure that legislators fully understand the consequences of any health care reform legislation.
The resolution was amended after House debate to add an additional administrative resolving clause and a statement that the ADA should also advocate that health care reform not eliminate or limit Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, or other tax incentive programs.
The ADA believes HSAs are proven health care coverage alternatives enjoyed by many who value choosing their own providers without restrictions or penalties, and that FSAs serve as a valuable means of using pre-tax dollars to pay for health care services without bureaucratic hassles. (www.ada.org/prof/advocacy/issues/hcr_talking_points.pdf)
“The GDA leadership has stayed on top of the issues as the health care reform debate has evolved,” said Dr. Weinman. “For instance, the GDA also took action by developing and adopting a policy on health care reform which was faxed to the membership on September 3 for dentists to use in speaking with their Congressional representatives**. The leadership heard the voices of members who were concerned about reform policies that could adversely affect dentists and taxpayers in general and responded to these concerns.”
*The ADA’s policy on universal healthcare may be reviewed at www.ada.org.
**The policy was published in the September 2009 GDA Action, page 13, and can be read at the GDA Legislative Center. Member dentists are required to log in to visit the Center.
