In 2012 NADP staff members and volunteers focused on the short and long term goals that will greatly affect the industry. The following brief summaries highlight how your association represents your interests to multiple stakeholders and the media. Key Meetings
Advancing Oral Health
U.S. NOHA In March, NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland was elected to the executive committee of the US National Oral Health Alliance (US NOHA), which provides the platform for a diverse network of stakeholders to forge common ground in order to harness opportunities and create viable solutions for improved oral health through prevention and treatment for vulnerable populations across our country. As a member of the Executive Committee, she shared her industry knowledge and expertise at the June and August meetings and later at the Fourth Leadership Colloquium in New Orleans in November. NADP Deputy Executive Director Timothy L. Brown also attended the Colloquium. Advancing Health Care Reform Objectives
White House In April, Health Care Reform Task Force Chair Jon Seltenheim (United Concordia Companies, Inc.) and NADP Executive Evelyn F. Ireland gained an audience with the White House to explain the needed regulatory fixes with the Affordable Care Act regarding equitable treatment for individuals receiving dental coverage from small group employers outside the Exchange. Washington, D.C. To advocate for the dental benefits industry's positions on health care reform, NADP made numerous trips to the nation's capital. In May, NADP Director of Government Relations Kris Hathaway met with National Association of Insurance Commissioner (NAIC) staff on May 10. In addition, she attended a Public Affairs Roundtable discussion on trade association Political Action Committees, and met with Washington, DC offices of NADP members. In November, Health Care Reform Task Force Chair Jon Seltenheim (United Concordia Companies, Inc.) and NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland met with Senator Stabenow and lobbyists at Brown Rudnick to fine-tune strategy regarding the Equitable Treatment issue.
Supreme Court Strategy In preparation for the decision from the Supreme Court of the United States, members of the NADP Board and Health Care Reform Task Force met in Washington, D.C. to develop strategies for the possible health care reform scenarios arising from the ruling. HHS/FFE On June 19, members of the NADP Board and Health Care Reform Task Force met with staff of the Federally Facilitated Exchange (FFE) of Health and Human Services to discuss appropriate inclusion of dental policies. This will be critical as FFE will likely operate in up to 40 states not ready to operate their own Exchanges by 2014. FFE staff proposed future meetings to continue dental related discussions. In August, NADP Executive Evelyn Ireland traveled to Washington, D.C. met with FFE to discuss inclusion of dental in their development of "Plan Compare," the FFE Exchange website. HHS Regional Meetings On Aug. 14 in Washington, D.C., CCIIO kicked off its series of four regional meetings focusing on the Affordable Care Act. The first meeting was broadcast live via the Internet. NADP members are attended all other regional sessions in Atlanta, Chicago and Denver. NADP greatly appreciates any summaries from attendees, and posted updates in Dental Interact. AHIP Issue Conference NADP Director of Government Relations Kris Hathaway attended the America's Health Insurance Plan State Issues Conference Oct. 4-5 in Washington, D.C. The conference featured sessions on ACA implementation issues within the states, including Exchange development. CADP In January, NADP Director of Government Relations Kris Hathaway represented NADP members at the California Association of Dental Plans (CADP) Legislative and Regulatory Conference in Sacramento. Conference highlights included presentations about public programs and the California Exchange. At the CADP Annual Conference in June, NADP Board members Jeff Album (Delta Dental of CA, NY, and PA & Affiliates), Kirk Andrews (UnitedHealthcare Specialty Benefits) and Executive Director Evelyn Ireland presented "United We Stand, Divided We Fall," which covered various aspects of health care reform. GUAA Annual Conference At the Group Underwriters Association of America Annual Conference, NADP Executive Director Evelyn Irelandpresented "Health Care Reform Update: Impact on Dental On Plans" during a May 22 workshop. NAIC Director of Government Relations Kris Hathaway represented the dental benefits industry at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners during meetings in March, August and November and on various conference calls regarding a variety of health care reform issues ranging from SERFF, EHB and QHPs. NCOIL NADP Director of Government Relations Kris Hathaway traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi for the spring meeting of the National Conference of Insurance Commissioners (NCOIL) meeting. The meeting featured a symposium on Essential Health Benefits: Balancing Costs and Coverage. NCSL At the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Aug. 6-9 in Chicago, Director of Government RelationsKris Hathaway raised two critical industry issues: Equitable Treatment and the availability for a dental small employer benchmark with panelists including Mike Hash, acting director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) and Cindy Mann, director of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). NASHP NADP Director of Government Relations Kris Hathaway traveled to Baltimore for the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) Conference Oct. 15- 17, featuring sessions on Exchanges, Medicaid and health care reform.
Advancing Industry Collaboration and EDI Standards
AADC Annual Workshop NADP Deputy Executive Director Timothy L. Brown traveled to Orlando, Florida where he represented NADP members at the American Association of Dental Consultants Annual Workshop May 16-20 in Orlando, Florida. American Dental Association The NADP Board of Directors met with leaders of the American Dental Association (ADA) last week in Chicago to discuss ongoing collaboration on areas of mutual interest. Board members attending included: Chair Karen Gustin, llif(Ameritas), Vice Chair Forrest Flint (HealthPartners), Secretary Dr. Doyle Williams (DentaQuest), TreasurerKirk Andrews (UnitedHealthcare), Jeff Album (Delta Dental of CA, NY, PA and Affiliates), Jeanne Hensel(Humana), Dr. Fred Sharpe (Avesis), Chris Swanker, FSA (Guardian), and Brian Watts (First Dental Health). NADP Executive Director Evelyn Ireland was also present. ADA Annual Session To support the association's continued collaborations on areas of mutual interest, NADP Deputy Executive DirectorTimothy L. Brown met with key American Dental Association staff at the ADA Annual Conference Oct. 18-23 in San Francisco. ADA CMC In February and August NADP shared the dental benefits industry views regarding CDT code revisions during the fi meetings of the ADA Code Maintenance Committee (CMC, formerly Code Advisory Committee) in Chicago.
ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics (SCDI) NADP Deputy Executive Director Timothy L. Brown represented the dental benefits industry during the ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics meeting, Feb. 20-22 in Chicago. SCDI develops industry standards and guidelines for electronic transactions.
CDA Director of Research and Information Jerry Berggren presented a dental benefits industry overview during a June 22 California Dental Association (CDA) workgroup meeting in Sacramento, CA. DentalPlans.Com NADP Director of Government Relations Kris Hathaway attended the DentalPlans.com meeting for discount dental plans in Palm Beach, Florida. DQA NADP Deputy Executive Director Timothy L. Brown and Dr. Craig Amundson (HealthPartners) traveled to Chicago for the Dental Quality Alliance meetings in July and November to offer industry input concerning the development of performance measures for oral health care. NAHU Director of Research and Information Jerry Berggren and Director of Membership and Communications Rene Chapin attended the National Association of Health Underwriters Annual Convention (NAHU) in Las Vegas June 24-26. Their mission was to learn more about brokers' education and content needs regarding dental benefits through a series of focus groups and attendance at various conference sessions. NCVHS NADP Deputy Executive Director Timothy L. Brown testified June 20 before the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) in Washington, D.C. regarding the new process for review of the CDT Codes. The testimony included concerns express by the diverse representation of NADP member plans and addressed the unresolved issues the industry has with the new ADA Code Advisory Committee and process. X12 Trimester Meetings NADP Deputy Executive Director Timothy L. Brown represented the dental benefits industry at the X12 Trimester Meetings X12 maintains global Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standards, which drive business processes such as dental claims. WEDI National Conference NADP Deputy Executive Director Timothy L. Brown represented the dental benefit industry's unique needs and point of view during the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) National Conference May 1-3 in Tampa, Florida. Tim joined with 350 health care industry professionals to discuss challenges and opportunities of the Affordable Care Act, including recommended best practices for ICD-10 implementation. Media Highlights Media interest in dental benefits was strong in 2012. Topics for articles and interviews ranged from the types of benefits available to the impact of health care reform. Highlights (in chronological order) include: Industry Interviews and Articles
LA Times - Reporter Lisa Zamosky interviewed NADP Executive Director Evelyn Ireland about coverage of dental implants by insurance and discount plans.
Chicago Dental Society - NADP Executive Director Evelyn Ireland provided data-rich background information and insightful comments of interest to providers.
Maine Public Radio - NADP Executive Director Evelyn Ireland commented on industry practices regarding the frequency of fluoride treatments paid for by dental plans in an interview with Josie Juang. CDS Review Chicago Dental Society - The Chicago Dental Society featured an interview with NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, in the article, "Financial and Health Literacy of your Patients."
A.M. Best - Lori Chordas interviewed NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland about dental trends and the impact of health care reform on dental benefits.
Bankrate.com - Freelance writer Rob DiGiacomo interviewed NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland about tips on what to look for when comparing different dental policies.
Wiki Answers - NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland updated information about the coordination of dental benefits on Wiki Answers.
Smart Money - NADP provided background information regarding annual maximums and benefit basics.
Wall Street Journal - NADP provided information regarding the differences between discount and dental insurance plans
AngiesList.com - Michael Schroeder interviewed NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland about employers offering dental coverage by size and percentage of dental benefits now written in the small and large group market.
MedTech Media's Healthcare Payer News - Anthony Brino interviewed NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland about projections for pediatric dental plans, based on some of the analysis from NADP's June Issue Brief.
NADP Gabryl Award Release: NADP issued a press release, ""Hentschel of The Principal Financial Group Receives
NADP Gabryl Award." The release reached an audience of 8.2 million and was published verbatim in major media markets across the U.S. including Boston, Minneapolis, Sacramento, Albany (NY), Anchorage, El Paso, Jacksonville, Lexington, Macon, Oakland, Columbus and San Bernardino. A link to the press release also appeared on 147 websites including Yahoo Finance, CBS News in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Dallas/Fort Worth. It was also tweeted by American Stock Picks and Business Press.
NADP Consumer Survey Release: NADP issued a press release, "NADP Survey Reveals Consumers' Perceptions on Dental Benefits." The release reached an audience of more than 8.8 million. It was published verbatim major media markets across the U.S. including Raleigh, Houston, Philadelphia, Carlsbad, Cincinnati, Dallas, Farmington, Kansas City, Pasadena, San Diego and Buffalo. A link to the press release also appeared on 136 websites including Yahoo Finance and CBS News in Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. It was also tweeted by American Stock Picks and Business Press.
HealthyCal.Org: Reporter Helen Afrasiabi interviewed NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland about how health policy fulfills its objectives (or not) regarding children's oral health.
Angie's List: Michael Schroeder interviewed NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland regarding employers offering dental coverage by size and percentage of dental benefits now written in the small and large group markets.
Wall Street Journal: Jonnelle Marte requested overall dental benefits trend information.
Medscape: Laird Harrison interviewed NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland about effects of the Affordable Care Act on dental benefits.
Employee Benefit Advisor: Brian M. Kalish interviewed NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Ireland for his article, "7 questions that brokers must be able to answer in 2013 to offer dental and medical coverage to individuals/small groups in 2014."
Medscape Medical News: Reporter Laird Harrison interviewed NADP Executive Director Evelyn F. Irelandregarding the EHB rules and whether dental plans could be offered separately from medical plans in the small group market outside the exchanges. -------------------------------------------
Jennifer Hudson
Communications Specialist
National Association of Dental Plans
Dallas TX
(972) 458-6998 (105)
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