2025 CDA Dentists at the Capitol Lobby Day
On Feb. 28, 25 dentists and dental students joined CDA staff and contract lobbyists at the state Capitol for our annual Dentists at the Capitol Lobby Day. We were thrilled with the turnout of dentists, as well as the interactions with state legislators. Dentists connected with more than 30 state senators and representatives to discuss key priorities for this legislative session, including the Dental Practice Act Sunset Review and funding for the Medicaid dental program. This direct advocacy by dentists is critical to our success at the state capitol.
Update on 2025 Legislative Session (as of 3-17-25):
We are more than mid-way through the state legislative session (which will adjourn May 7), and the biggest news is that the Dental Practice Act Sunset bill has been introduced! Senate Bill 194 reflects the extensive efforts of many CDA members, CDA staff and our contract lobbyists, as well as collaboration with our dental hygiene colleagues. We are lobbying to make changes in our state laws governing dentistry that will modernize and advance the practice of dentistry in Colorado. We anticipate pushback from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), as we successfully lobbied against many provisions of their Sunset Report from being included in the bill. We will be advocating throughout the legislative process to maintain provisions in the bill that support our members’ interests and access to oral healthcare for Coloradans across the state.
We are also actively engaged in the state budget process and working to defend the Medicaid dental program. The state budget is extremely challenging this year, with the state needing to cut $1.2 billion from its budget. As we have shared, Medicaid dental rates have been targeted for proposed reductions to help the state address this funding gap. Recently, the state department of Health Care Policy and Financing also proposed reinstating the adult dental benefit cap, at an annual cap of $3,000, to save an additional $1.6 million for the state. As of March 6, the state legislature’s Joint Budget Committee has not made any move to cut targeted Medicaid dental rates, and voted down reinstating the Medicaid adult dental benefit cap. The Joint Budget Committee may revisit these issues after they receive an updated economic forecast on March 17. We will share more on this issue once we know more definitive answers.
Outside of these two major priorities for the 2025 session, CDA is also engaging in legislation on state Medicaid audit program reforms and legislative discussions on healthcare billing practices, among other things.
