Government Relations 2024 Legislative Successes This session was an incredibly successful one for the GDA. From budget requests to expanding loan repayment for dentists in rural areas, the GDA thrived under the Gold Dome in 2024. HB872-Service Cancelable Loan Program: The bill carried by Chairman Lee Hawkins expands the service cancelable loan program for health care providers to include dental students. HB82-Rural Health Professional 2024 Tax Credit: The bill sunsets an existing tax credit available to rural physicians, and it creates a broader version of the credit also available to dentists. Medicaid Fee Reimbursement Increases: Secured increases for 17 codes. DRAA and DDS Funding: Advocated for and retained funding for the DRAA (Dentists for Rural Areas Assistance Program) and the Donated Dental Services program. Medicaid Expansion for Dental Services: With the proposed budget for adult expansion for dental Medicaid coverage, adults will receive the same care as children on Medicaid until the age of 62, Concerns over the size of the request and if it is enough to cover the program, stress the need for education of the benefit for both providers and users. HB441-Tele-Dentistry Twenty years in the making, this bill introduced by GDA and supported by the Georgia Dental Hygiene Association passed both the House and Senate but was vetoed by the Governor and his staff. It would have created a statutory framework to regulate the practice of tele-dentistry in Georgia. We are grateful to House Chairwoman Katie Dempsey for her willingness and passion to see this bill through to the finish line and Senator Shawn Still for his presentation of the bill on the Senate floor. Defeated Legislation SB102-CRNA Expansion of ScopeX: This bill would have created opportunities for CRNA’s to practice sans an anesthesiologist. Expected to come up again next session, GDA will continue to advocate for dentists to be removed from the bill, SB408-Removal of fluoride in community drinking water: Successfully stopped a bill that would have double dipped into the ability to remove fluoride from community drinking water. GDA hosted a LAW Day at the Capitol welcoming dentists from all over Georgia. During the legislative session, contact dentists reached out to legislators and communicated important points about active bills in the House or Senate. 30 | Sept 2024
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