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Updates from Washington, D.C.

You might not know it from the headlines, but the day-to-day work of the new Congress is well underway. The ADA is busy on behalf of dentists, with the support of the AAE and other dental specialties who participate in the Organized Dentistry Coalition. The AAE has joined the ADA in several correspondence with representatives in Washington. These include:

Thank you letter to the House and Senate sponsor of H.R. 184, Protect Innovation Act, which would permanently repeal the medical device excise tax. In December 2015, the tax was temporarily suspended for two years.

Letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee requesting support for the RAISE Act of 2017, which would repeal the “use or lose” rule for flexible spending accounts and allow people to carry savings over to the subsequent year. It also would raise the annual contribution cap to $1,000.

Letter to the chair and ranking member of the House Committee on the Judiciary in support of H.R. 372, the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act, which would repeal the portions of the McCarran Ferguson Act, which would authorize the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department to enforce the federal antitrust laws against health insurance companies engaged in anticompetitive conduct.

The ADA has not taken a position on the proposed Affordable Health Care Act, but has noted that it does include repeal of the medical device excise tax and increase in FSA caps. The AAE encourages all of its members to play their part in ADA’s efforts on behalf of dentistry by participating in ADA Engage and registering for Action Alerts. Grassroots efforts matter! If you are interested in receiving ADA’s weekly Legislative and Governmental Affairs email, visit My ADA and update your preferences.