ASDA at Lobby Day!
ASDA attended the ADA Dentist and Student Lobby Day April 7-9th , and had 12 students attend, many representing their home states such as Alabama, Texas, Ohio, and many advocating with Massachusetts. Many dentists, and Tufts alumni were there and encouraged all the students to share their experiences with the staffers and congress people.
This year the ADA worked so everyone was advocating for four bi-partisan bills, described here
H.R. 1202/S. 704, the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (or REDI Act)Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) andRep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA); Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)
- • Allows medical and dental residents to automatically defer payments on their federal student loans until
- after their medical or dental residency is completed.
- • Suspends the accrual of interest on federal student loans during the residency period.
H.R. 7814/S. 2172, the Dental Loan Repayment Assistance Act of 2023Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY); Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)
- • Allows full-time faculty members participating in the Dental Faculty Loan Repayment Program to exclude federal loan repayment assistance from their taxable income.
S. 1424/H.R. 1385 Dental and Optometric Care (DOC) Access Act
- Currently, patients are being adversely impacted by provisions in dental and vision plans that dictate how much a doctor may charge a plan enrollee, even though the services provided to the enrollee are not “covered” (i.e., paid for) by the plan.
- The American Dental Association (ADA) along with the American Optometric Association (AOA) supports S.1424/H.R. 1385, the Dental and Optometric Care Access Act (DOC Access Act), which was introduced by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Representatives Buddy Carter (R-GA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), and Pete Sessions (R-TX). The legislation would prohibit dental and vision plans from setting the fees network doctors may charge for services not covered by the insurer
Dental Workforce S. 2891,
- Action for Dental Health Act Dental practices in America are facing a workforce problem that is limiting access to care. A recent American Dental Association (ADA) survey of dentists demonstrated the acuteness of oral health workforce issues, as one-third of dentists are actively recruiting dental hygienists and dental assistants, and 87% of dentists told the ADA that recruiting for these positions is extremely challenging. These challenges came despite new incentives offered to prospective dental team members. Dental practice staffing difficulties limit the number of patients dentists can see, thus posing an obstacle to access to dental care.
Reflections from students who attended
Juliana D26: “Lobby Day 2024 was an amazing experience that ASDA was able to participate in. I enjoyed meeting and networking with other dental schools, dentists, and members of the ADA. Lobbying in front of members of Congress for issues related to the dental field felt extremely powerful. I hope to continue these efforts beyond Lobby Day and encourage others to find ways to advocate for our profession!”
Natalie D26: “Lobby Day was so fun because you get to see dentists and dental students from all 50 states, and every kind of practice, treating every kind of patient, come together and advocate to change the profession for the better. It was so impactful and inspiring to see how our voices can create positive change. The ADA works so hard to ensure students feel like on of their priorities.”
Colby D26: “Lobby Day 2024 was such an impactful event for me. I’ve always loved advocacy, and especially when it relates to our profession and the patients we serve. Being on Capitol Hill meeting with congressmen, senators, and their staff was a turning point for me in realizing I want to dive deeper into public policy. It was especially rewarding to be lobbying on my 28th birthday. There’s no where else I’d rather be on my birthday than at the seat of our nation’s capitol doing what I love most—advocacy.”
Lawrence D27: “My first experience at Lobby Day this year was extremely insightful. Being from Florida, I chose to lobby with the Florida Dental Association. The representatives were exceptionally welcoming and gave me the opportunity to pick the state congressmen I wanted to speak with. Personally, I picked the speak with congressman Neal Dunn and Congressman Gus Bilirakis, both of whom were present to speak with us on an individual level. I found this to be rewarding, as I never thought my opinions as a dental student would be worth the time of a congressman. My team and I spoke about many of the current bills being passed in congress and how they will change our future as practicing dentists. After we proposed our case, the congressmen shared their thoughts, and were more than receptive to our grievances with the current state of dental school and dentistry as a whole. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences with our lawmakers, it truly made me feel like I had a voice.”
Eugenia D25: “This year’s Lobby Day Conference provided me a full perspective of what successful advocacy should look like. With 1200+ attendees the energy in the room was sensational. In just three days we heard from esteemed speakers such as the ADA President, Dr. Linda J. Edgar, and the national ASDA President, Samarth Setru, who gave their impactful speech about the importance of advocacy on the future of dentistry and a breakdown of the legislative issues in dentistry. The meetings on the hill brought out the leader in each of us as we spoke to the congress persons and their representatives. ASDA National Lobby day has filled me with the inspiration to speak up for dentistry so that I can be the best dental provider I can be.”
Stacey D26: “Lobby Day this year was such an impactful experience for those who went to Lobby Day in Washington D.C. To have the power and the voice to fight for the laws of our profession never fails to inspire me. As we gathered together with members of our states, we talked carefully with members of our congress, who gave us time to explain our side of our profession. Participating in Lobby Day can also be deeply empowering on a personal level. It’s an opportunity to channel passion into action, to speak truth to power, and to be part of something larger than oneself. Whether it’s sharing personal stories, presenting compelling data, or simply lending a listening ear, every contribution matters. Seeing firsthand the impact of collective advocacy reinforces the belief that positive change is possible and that individuals have the power to shape the world around them.”
Travon D25: “Attending Lobby Day for a second time has been incredible. This year many students were able to branch out and advocate in either their home states or what will be their new home state upon graduation. Seeing each student take charge and truly display the challenges we are facing in the field of dentistry has truly been an experience that I will never forget. Each student had a personal story to share each of which adding to the fire for our causes. The ability of each school to have more students sponsored thanks to the ADA has allowed more dental students to experience legislation at this level and”
People in the group photo left to right: First row: Natalie Ingram, Tareina Rogers, Stacey Young, Juliana Barounis, Isabel Terrasa, Erika Magana, Emely Vidal Second Row: Eugenia Cojocaru, Colby Dean, Travon Terrell, Luke Parzygnat, Daniela Cojocaru
