The American Dental Association has recently been lobbying and supporting federal legislation that would help alleviate workforce shortage issues in the dental industry, according to an Aug. 3 news release from the ADA.
Here are the three actions and bills the ADA is pushing for:
- The reauthorization of the Action for Dental Health Act, which allocates grant programs for dentists and other dental professionals.
- The Restoring America's Health Care Workforce and Readiness Act, which doubles the funding amount for the National Health Service Corps' scholarship and loan repayment programs. Healthcare workers who are eligible include dentists and dental hygienists who work in federally designated shortage areas.
- The Resident Education Deferred Interest Act, which allows dental professional student loan borrowers to adjust interest rates to the current applicable rate to address the difficulty professionals face immediately repaying student loans.