An Update on Dental Loss Ratio and AAE Advocacy Efforts
By Michael Dobrow
In his President’s Message featured in January’s Communiqué, Dr. Stefan I. Zweig alluded to the AAE’s expanding advocacy efforts this year. The 2023 legislative session has already begun in Congress and various state legislatures, and AAE’s advocacy team is monitoring their proceedings closely.
Following the Association’s resounding victory in the Massachusetts election this past November, it will continue to support Dental Loss Ratio (DLR) legislation at the state level and work with dental stakeholders to make patients’ dental care and fairer insurance reimbursements a priority. New DLR policies are being pursued by several state dental societies and several state organizations have indicated they would like to pursue similar measures. As of February 17, DLR-related bills have been filed in six state legislatures so far:
The AAE also anticipates similar measures in Oklahoma and Nevada.
Visit the AAE’s Online Advocacy Action Center to find out more about legislative activity impacting endodontists in your state. In addition, AAE staff and members joined the ADA and ASDA for Lobby Day on March 5 -7. As part of the event, endodontists had the opportunity to meet directly with federal lawmakers to advocate for the specialty’s future. Grassroots participation in legislative and regulatory processes helps toward ensuring the best patient outcomes. Contact advocacy@aae.org to learn more about how you can get more directly involved in policies that prioritize saving patients’ teeth.
Michael Dobrow is the AAE’s advocacy manager. He can be reached at mdobrow@aae.org.