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2021 Virtual Dentist Day at the Capitol Recap
Dentist Day at the Capitol Virtual
By: Makenzie Dean, ODA Programs & Operations Manager
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Dentist Day at the Capitol is normally an evening where state legislators and ODA members come together to discuss policies that are important to Oklahoma dentists. But this year looked different: much like many of the events in the past year, we had to meet via Zoom. While the setting changed the mission remained the same. The ODA provided a forum for legislators to have conversations with ODA members in a face-to-face setting. Legislators heard stories and statistics from dentists and had the opportunity to ask questions and gain even more clarity on the subject that matters most this year: the possibility of a Medicaid managed care system. This year’s event took place virtually on two consecutive nights: Monday-Tuesday, January 25-26. On Monday, we heard stories from Drs. Robie Herman and Twana Duncan who are both Medicaid providers. Their practices and their patients would be greatly harmed if the state were to switch to a Medicaid managed care system. Herman said that “managed care is bad business for Oklahoma” and shared some statistics proving that switching to such a system would not actually save the state money. Currently, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority operates their SoonerCare program at an administrative cost of five percent or less. Other states that have a managed care system operate at an average of 15 percent overhead. Duncan, a rural dentist in Antlers, shared that 75 percent of her patients are Medicaid children and stated that “under managed care, far less dentists will accept Medicaid and these patients will be left without options.” Tuesday night was spent listening to Drs. Brian Molloy and Doug Auld. Molloy, a pediatric dentist with a practice in south Oklahoma City, spoke about his personal experiences as both a pediatric dentist and former foster parent. He believes that the switch to a managed Medicaid system “will only make it harder for our most vulnerable children to receive the necessary dental care.” Auld, a general dentist from McAlester, agreed that children in the state would suffer, adding that “The current system may have flaws, but it needs to be improved upon from within, not taken over by out-of-state companies that profit while limiting necessary treatment for children in the SoonerCare system.” Both nights of our virtual event were extremely successful with a total of 68
ODA members, 28 Representatives, 13 Senators and nine additional staff joining
the calls. Each night ended with questions from the Legislators that ODA members had an opportunity to answer. Overall, this year’s event was rewarding to both members and Legislators. We look forward to seeing you next year at Dentist Day at the Capitol 2022!
Contact Lynn Means, ODA Executive Director, at lmeans@okda.org or 405.848.8873 if you have questions about this important topic.
To help the ODA convince our lawmakers that managed care Medicaid is not what Oklahoma needs, please take time to connect with your State Representative and Senator. Many of our lawmakers are very active on Twitter and other social media platforms which is a great way to connect with them directly. Additionally, a personal phone call or letter to them shows that their constiutents are against this issue. Visit okda.org/members-only/advocacy for a complete list of Oklahoma Legislator social media accounts and contact information.
KCAPITOL CLUB
Dr. Douglas Auld Dr. Justin Beasley Dr. Brandon Beaver Dr. Tamara Berg Dr. Elizabeth Bohanon Dr. Matthew Bridges Dr. Todd Bridges Dr. Steven Brown Dr. Bonnie Burton Dr. Jamie Cameron Dr. Tricia Cannon Dr. Wuse Cara Dr. Bobby Carmen Dr. Cory Chambers Dr. Jennifer Chambers Dr. Adam Cohlmia Dr. Matthew Cohlmia Dr. Jeffrey Danner Dr. Russell Danner Dr. Susan Davis Dr. David Deason Dr. Steven Deaton Dr. Thai-An Doan Dr. Brian Drew Dr. Heath Evans Dr. Tim Fagan Dr. Barry Farmer Dr. Leslie Hardy Dr. Aaron Harman Dr. Richard Haught Dr. Robert Herman Dr. Jeffrey Hermen Dr. Marilyn Hiebert Dr. James Hooper Dr. Brad Hoopes Dr. Donald Johnson Dr. Eugenia Johnson Dr. Krista Jones Dr. Michael Kirk Dr. Mitchell Kramer Dr. Shannon Lewis Dr. Gary Lott Dr. David Marks Dr. S. Ross Martin Dr. Mark Massaro Dr. Alan Mauldin Dr. Stephen Mayer Dr. Janna McIntosh Dr. Robert Miracle Dr. Mohsen Moosavi Dr. Paul Mullasseril Dr. Erin Roberts-Svob Dr. Brant Rouse Dr. Miranda Ruleford Dr. Robert Schick Dr. Paul Shadid Dr. Floyd Simon Dr. Jaymi Simpson-Wert Dr. Brooke Snowden Dr. James Steyer Dr. Braden Stoltenberg Dr. Steven Strange Dr. Jamie Talley Dr. Jim Taylor Dr. John Thomas Dr. Kara Tims Dr. Corbyn Van Brunt Dr. Jonah Vandiver Dr. Nathan Villines Dr. Robert Webb Dr. Daniel Wilguess Dr. Paul Wood
OKCapitol Club is for that “ABC” group of DENPAC members; or those who want to be “ABOVE AND BEYOND CONTRIBUTORS.” OKCapitol Club members truly understand the importance of the ODA’s participation in the political process and want to support candidates who are committed to the state’s oral health and the issues that affect your practice. OKCapitol Club members support those efforts even more by contributing an additional $300 to DENPAC ($470 total) per year. For more information about Capitol Club, contact Lynn Means at 800-876-8890 or lmeans@okda.org.
DENPAC Grand Level
DENPAC funds our voice. Without our input, legislators are merely making decisions based on what sounds good, what makes the fewest people angry, or what is easiest for them. Whether you like it or not, the campaign contributions we make to dentistry-friendly candidates are what opens those lines of communication. It’s what reminds legislators once they’re in office to go directly to the ODA for information, and not somewhere else.
For more information about DENPAC, contact Lynn Means at 800-876-8890 or lmeans@okda.org.
THANK YOU TO THESE 2021 DENPAC
