Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2020 - 9

Trustee Report

PCSO News and Events

Trustee Report, Spring 2020
"Spring is the time of plans and
projects."
-Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

Dr. Norman Nagel
AAO Trustee

Our last Trustee Report focused on advocacy and
members. This report is written following the
American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) annual Advocacy Meeting in Washington, DC. More
than 175 meetings were set up with members of
the House of Representatives and the Senate. One
hundred twenty-two individuals were in attendance. They included AAO members, residents,
and individuals associated with dental support
organizations that support orthodontists or the
dental/orthodontic industry. As all of us walked
the halls of the various House and Senate office
buildings, we were reminded by Arnold & Porter,
our Washington, DC lobbyist, that approximately
75,000 individuals lobby members of Congress
every day.
What brings us to Washington, DC, every year?
Current areas of interest include the RAISE ACT
(H.R. 1366/S. 503). This act improves flexible
spending accounts for families. The current cap
is $2,750, and the RAISE ACT would expand that
to $5,000 with the cap adjusted for inflation (it
should be noted that prior to the Affordable Care
Act, the limit was $5,000/year). Another "ask" in
the RAISE ACT would allow an additional annual
$500 per employee dependent after the first two
dependents. Another provision in this Act would
allow the current grace period to be extended
to allow employees to carry forward any unused
funds in perpetuity. This bipartisan sponsored Act
includes the following:

▫▫ From the House of Representatives: Steve Stivers (R-OH) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)

▫▫ From the Senate: Roy Blunt (R-MO) and
Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)

Another major issue on the AAO's agenda was
the student loan crisis. Currently, orthodontists
are graduating with an average of $428,150 in stu-

Spring 2020    PCSO Bulletin	

dent loan debt. Forty percent of residents have or
expect to have about $500,000 in debt, and 26%
of residents expect to have more than $600,000
in debt. It is imperative that steps be taken to
ease the burden of student loan debt. Several
bills are currently being considered by Congress
to assist with student loan debt. These include
the Student Loan Refinancing and Recalculation
(SLRR) Act (H.R. 1899), the Pell Grant Dollars for
Graduate Education (H.R. 3334), and the Dental
Loan Repayment Assistance Act (H.R. 996/S.359).
Also, H.R. 1554, the Resident Education Deferred
Interest (REDI) Act, would provide interest-free
deferment for all orthodontic students while in
residency. This act would be very significant. Accumulating interest from day 1 adds a significant
amount to the bottom line.
I urge all members of the PCSO to contact their
member of Congress to co-sponsor these bills
currently in Congress. There is strength in numbers. Contact the PCSO representatives who are
most familiar with these bills: COGA (Council
on Government Affairs) representative Dr. Frank
Beglin (NV) and our AAOPAC director, Dr. Michael
Feinberg (AZ). They would be happy to hear from
you.
A recent win for the AAO, our practices, and the
patients we serve was the repeal of the Medical
Device Excise Tax (MDET). This 2.3% tax was imposed on some of the products we use following
the passage of the Affordable Care Act, beginning
in 2013. Each year, when we went to Congress
with our (AAO) issues, the medical device tax was
always there (even if it had been "temporarily"
suspended), another "ask" for our members. We
wrote about this in 2016, outlining the reasons
why this tax should be repealed.1 Finally, last December, it was repealed. Sometimes it takes time
and perseverance to get things done.
Recently, nine members of Congress sent a letter
to Dr. Jeff Shuren, Director, Center for Devices
and Radiological Health, with the Food and Drug

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Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2020

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