Ohio Dental Association (ODA) - Informing, Representing, Serving

ODPAC, the Ohio Dental Political Action Committee, is dentistry’s voice in the political arena and has a proven history of protecting dentists, patients, and dental practices from unnecessary government interference.

ODPAC is a federally registered political action committee that advocates on behalf of dentists in Ohio. The political arm of the ODA, ODPAC advocates for the dental profession by supporting the campaigns of pro-dentistry candidates for office. ODPAC is funded through voluntary contributions made by members of the Ohio Dental Association.

Why is ODPAC Important to Ohio Dentists?

• ODPAC helps individual dentists gain equal leverage on the playing field with big dollar contributors, such as insurance companies and trial lawyers.
• ODPAC works to prevent unnecessary government intervention and maintain the sanctity of the dentist-patient relationship.
• ODPAC allows dentists to pool their individual contributions together in order to make substantial contributions to the campaigns of key pro-dentistry legislators who are in a position to influence the issues that affect dental patients and practices.
• ODPAC campaign contributions provide an excellent opportunity to establish relationships with legislators. With new members entering the General Assembly every election year due to term limits, it is especially important that we quickly establish strong relationships with these members.

Other Important Facts

• ODA dues dollars cannot go towards funding ODPAC.
• ODPAC is funded solely from contributions from individual ODA members, spouses and dental students. Click here to see a list of contribution levels.
• Elected officials cannot use contributions from ODPAC for personal reasons.
• Only personal contributions or contributions from partnerships or LLCs which elect taxation at the individual rate may be used to support pro-dentistry candidates for office. Corporate contributions cannot be used to directly support candidates and only have limited political uses.

What Has ODPAC Accomplished for Ohio Dentists and Dental Patients?

• Terminal Distributor of Dangerous Drugs License (TDDD)

  The policy makers attempted to require all incorporated dental practices to obtain a pharmacy license in order to purchase local anesthesia and other drugs from suppliers. The license would have cost up to $150 per year and would have subjected dental offices to a variety of new record-keeping requirements.

• Adult Dental Medicaid

  Throughout the last 5 years there have been several attempts to eliminate this critical benefit for Ohio’s underserved population. Organized dentistry has led the charge to retain and strengthen this important program.

• Improved Due Process Rights for Dentists

  Recently passed legislation provides Ohio dentists with improved due process rights in dental board investigations. Specifically, the law sets a time limitation on board investigations, provides for discovery rights for dentists charged with a violation, creates a two person panel to oversee all board investigations and ensures that board-issued subpoenas are reasonable in scope.

Other recent successes:

• Malpractice reform – caps on damages and a 4 year statute of repose
• Healthcare Simplification Act - mandates standardized language for insurance contracts, including fee schedule disclosure and amendment process
• Defeating a proposed sales tax on dental services
• Increasing office efficiency by allowing for the safe delegation of duties

What Can ODPAC Do For Ohio Dentists in the Future?

• Midlevel Providers

  Policymakers around the country are beginning to discuss the creation of “mid-level” providers in dentistry. Some of these discussions and proposals involve the creation of a new category of dental worker which would be permitted to perform irremediable procedures, such as restorations and extractions, with minimal training and supervision.

• Taxes, Fees and Regulations

  Ohio is facing its most challenging budgetary situation in recent memory and ODPAC will work to ensure that dentists are not burdened with unnecessary regulations or taxes.

• Dental Insurance

  Unfair dental insurance tactics, including dictating fees for non-covered dental services and unilateral provider contract changes, often interfere with the sanctity of the dentist-patient relationship and must be reigned in.

Click here to contribute.