ADA News (Newspaper) - October 12, 1981, Chicago, Illinois AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION NEWS OCTOBER 1981 Griffiths Procompetition laws could inhibit growth of prepaid dental plans tion insurance legislation could de stroy the rapidly growing dental pre payment market and discourage some people from seeking preventive dental ADA Presidentelect Robert Grif fiths said in congressional Dental prepayment plans cover one in every three he The 75 million persons who coverage spend billion a year on dental Coverage under dental benefit plans has increased by more than since Griffiths appeared before the House Ways and Means Committees health subcommittee Oct 1 on behalf of the American Dental The Association has been encouraged by several aspects of the socalled pro competition particularly their reliance on the private Na tional health insurance proposals of the 1970s more often prescribed heavy doses of government Griffiths called the new wave of proposals well But he said they fail to recognize important dis between dental and other dis eases and between dental benefit plans and general health The bills are intended by their spon sors to stimulate competition in the financing and delivery of health care services by giving consumers incentives to shop for their health These incentives could include vouchers for poor and elderly persons toward the purchase of health or changes in the tax As the proposals could lead to consumers choosing dental ben plans only when they are contemplat ing extensive dental a circum stance that because of adverse increase the cost of the pro gram per subscriber to a point that would render it Grif fiths in could lead to a decline in national dental he In our view and those of major insur Appropriations committees move ahead on spending bills Reagans call for additional cuts in the 1982 federal budget came too late to influence the decisions of a number of congressional appropriations Faced with the beginning of a new fis cal year Oct House and Senate Ap Committees elected to move ahead on spending bills without waiting for revised figures from the White Budget levels for the Department of Health and Human Services were ap proved by the House Committee on Ap and a Senate subcommit tee several days before the Presidents nationwide television address Sept Although there are differences be tween the emerging House and Senate spending some cuts can be antici pated in Department of Health and Notice to delegates Members of the 1981 ADA House of Delegates are requested to bring with them to the annual session their copies of Annual Reports and Resolu 1981 Supplement 1 to Annual Reports and Resolutions resolution worksheets and expandable folders and parts I and II of the report from the Special Communications ing Human Services Fiscal year 1982 appropriations for Na tional Health Service Corps scholarships would be reduced Under both the House and Senate the program would receive about mil The fiscal year 1981 spending level was Spending for general dental residen cies is earmarked by the House but not by the Senate for FY The House includes language specifying that family medicine receive mil at least million of which is to be used for dentistry The FY 81 appropriation for general dental resi which have been financed through the family medicine was Both so have refused to go along with the who re quested zero funds for health profes sions student loans in fiscal year The FY 81 appropriation was mil including exceptional need schol and loan The House measure provides million and the Senate million for FY Funds for the preventive health block which includes fluoridation and other former categorical prog were reduced by 25 in FY 81 and will be cut even from million in FY 81 to million under the House and million under the Senate Both houses would substantially re Continued on page three ers and service elements of these three pending most tellingly those mandating individual selection of all health benefits and those providing the cash incentives to select minimum health would be destructive to the continuation of dental benefit plans as they now he told the We strongly recommend that dental benefit plans be exempted from the re and incentives in the which could end the growth Continued on page five Price index cost of dental ser vices rose in slightly more than the increase for all ser according to the Consumer Price Physician services rose hos pital rooms medical care food commodities ser vices and all items For the 12 months ending in Au dental services rose physician services hospital rooms medical care food commodities ser vices and all items Presidents callin program allows members to comment Robert ADA has established a Robert Griffiths schedule for his soon to be instituted Presidents Day Under the Griffiths will be available on five occasions during the year to discuss programs and policies and to hear comments and sugges any Association wishes to telephone The program will begin shortly after Griffiths assumes the presidency of the ADA during the annual Oct The first callin session is set for Griffiths said he views the program as an excellent opportunity for reach ing out to the membership for valuable suggestions to be used in decision Members with concerns or comments are urged to call at if calling from the conti Puerto or the Virgin Is lands from Alaska and Hawaii and from Other scheduled dates in 1982 for the callin program are Jan April July and Sept Three chiropractors file antitrust suit against physicians chiropractors have filed an antitrust lawsuit against three Blue Shield plans and their physician The filed in US District Court alleges that the plans and physi cians conspired to prevent tors from being reimbursed for medical services that are reimbursed when pro vided by medical or osteopathic physi It further charges that the plans and physicians fix the price of health ser vices and reimbursement and refuse to allow chiropractors to become directors or trustees of the The defendants in the lawsuit are Blue Shield of Southwest Blue Shield of Medical Service of the District of and 42 physicians in and A spokesman for Blue Shield of Vir ginia denied the allegations and said that since early this some contracts written by the plan have included cover age for chiropractic The Medi cal Service of the District of Columbia said that it also provides coverage for chiropractic services if a subscriber group requests such
