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The Government Relations and Exchange Policy Workgroups are developing comments in response to a CMS paperwork reduction act notice that outlines some technical specifications around an Exchange requirement for carriers to submit machine readable data for provider networks.

On June 29, 2015, NADP submitted comments in response to a CMS Bulletin on the development of an Out-of-Pocket (OOP) Cost Comparison Tool for consumers, which would display estimates of total spending for premiums and cost-sharing across health insurance plans on federal marketplaces. At this time, the tool will not calculate or display possible costs for dental services covered by standalone dental plans or Qualified Health Plans (QHP) that embed dental benefits.

MonthlyByte     August 2015   Federal Legislation Seeks Dental Changes This summer, U.S. Congressional Representatives introduced two pieces of legislation impacting insurance contracts with dentists and dental coverage in…

On Nov. 9, 2015, NADP provided comments to the California Department of Insurance (CDI) regarding proposed, permanent network adequacy regulations.

As legislators return to Washington D.C., NADP will be watching for any movement on the 21st Century Cures Act, as it may include Equitable Treatment legislation (H.R. 3463/S. 3422).

This month I’m joining my fellow NADP Members in celebrating the successful culmination of many years of hard work on behalf of our industry. Recently NADP scored a major advocacy win on one of our top two priorities and made significant progress on the other. Our top two advocacy priorities have been 1) a change in subsidy calculations in public exchanges to include pediatric dental and 2) equitable markets on and off the exchange.

At Leadership Conference last month, the Membership WorkGroup presented a brief panel discussion highlighting many member resources. The objective was to remind members about resources included in membership and introduce benefits to new NADP volunteers. As I listened to this presentation, I was impressed by the numerous resources available and their value. This month I will focus on some valuable resources developed by our volunteers and members.

In this time of crisis and uncertainty, NADP continues to deliver meaningful resources and represent us to key audiences. This month alone, NADP volunteers and staff advanced the dental benefits industry on multiple fronts, and I’d like to highlight some of these contributions.

NADP is tracking recent efforts by the American Dental Association (ADA) and other provider groups to push the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to expand eligibility for its COVID-19 Telehealth Program.

Negotiations between the White House and leaders of both parties in the House and Senate on the next COVID-19 stimulus package are at a standstill. Negotiators are deeply divided on several issues, such as unemployment assistance, aid to state and local governments, and the overall price tag of the package.