News
By Board Chair Jeremy Hedrick, Careington International
The mission of NADP is to promote and advance the dental benefits industry to improve consumer access to affordable, quality dental care. The association’s mission is one of the main reasons my company is an NADP member. This month, I want to highlight some key initiatives NADP is currently undertaking to advance our mission.
Promoting Access
First and foremost, our members daily improve access to dental care by overcoming the number one barrier—cost. Over the years the NADP Consumer Survey has revealed individuals with dental coverage see their dentist more frequently and receive the care they need as compared to individuals without coverage. NADP is working to develop next steps to expand access to care for under-served populations
To serve our nation’s senior population, our advocacy volunteers have spent countless hours studying, researching and developing our positions regarding a dental benefit in Medicare. NADP continues to serve as a valuable resource on this topic for members, the broader dental industry, and policymakers. NADP is well-positioned to serve in a consultative role to Congress and provide critical policy considerations and questions to address as policymakers explore adding dental to Medicare.
In 2019, the NADP conducted its first Social Responsibility Survey, which reported plan members contributed $16,260,775 to provide free dental services to individuals and under-served communities. NADP is wrapping up data collection to complete this year’s survey that will highlight how dental plans served their members, providers and the community, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Advancing the Industry
NADP promotes the dental benefits industry through our core services of education, research and advocacy. Our upcoming CONVERGE conference features a diverse agenda covering timely topics and trends impacting our industry today. CONVERGE provides the necessary knowledge to succeed in our industry. If you’re not yet registered, I encourage you to do so because registration cost increases after July 30.
NADP also continues to represent the industry to numerous stakeholder organizations governing standards for the electronic transactions on which our businesses run. Having a unified, informed voice in these processes is beneficial to us all.
In addition, NADP conducts the research about the industry and the factors affecting the dental benefits market. Our vast library of industry research positions us as the authority on the dental benefits industry and enhances our advocacy and education programs.
In addition to advocating for dental benefits in Medicare, our government relations groups track and respond to countless state and federal bills and regulations. Our volunteers also guide our strategy development and lobbying activities on behalf of our members.
In fact, NADP’s success in all our programs is fueled by our strong volunteer program. I am truly appreciative of the efforts of our impressive, talented volunteers who guide all our efforts. In this newsletter edition, we are celebrating 2021 volunteers who have gone above and beyond in their service to the association and industry. We are proud to present this outstanding group with the Evelyn Ireland Volunteer Award. See a related article in this newsletter for more details.
From the quick glance above, it’s easy to see that NADP is a thriving, productive organization serving the interests of our members on multiple fronts. Should you have any questions or comments about NADP, please contact me.
