On Nov. 3, around 124 million Americans cast their ballots in the midterm elections. At the federal level, Democrats secured majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate. This pendulum swing is expected to carry impact for ASDA’s advocacy priorities, including student debt and access to oral healthcare. As with any election, ASDA remains nonpartisan to best advocate for dental students.  

While the party shift is unlikely to result in a reinstatement of Grad PLUS loans and prior borrowing limits for dental students, ASDA is monitoring several policy proposals that could favor dental students. The 120th Congress is expected to take up bills to reduce or eliminate interest on federal student loans, support Public Service Loan Forgiveness and improve processes for borrowers who default on their loans. This potential shift could provide better borrowing terms for dental students across the country.  

 Democratic lawmakers vying for top committee leadership positions are already putting pressure on the Department of Education to resolve ongoing issues with student loan processing and tracking for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. While Congressional bills could still be subject to a presidential veto, reduced interest rates for federal loans could be a potential middle ground between the parties. While nothing is sure at this point, potential reduced interest rates could save dental students thousands of dollars in the future.  

Both Democratic-led chambers are expected to support Medicaid funding and expand protections under the Affordable Care Act. Governorships and state legislative elections will also impact funding for Medicaid dental benefits by state. These potential changes could increase access to patient dental care.  

ASDA will continue to monitor issues impacting dental students considering the elections and keep you informed. Read more from Politico, Health Policy Watch, Newsweek and Business Insider. Be sure to subscribe to ASDA Action text alerts to learn about opportunities to advocate for bills and stay up to date on the issues. 

ASDA is conducting a survey to better understand the impact of current legislation on dental students’ experiences, perceptions and future actions about financing dental school. Individual responses will be kept confidential, and a summary of findings will be shared with all members after results are compiled. No matter your borrowing situation, your response is needed to ensure accurate research and to help develop future resources. After completing the survey, submit code SURVEY on your scorecard for a point in the Advocacy Certificate Program (ACP).

East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine hosts Ballots and Brews event.

November is Advocacy Month! This year’s theme, Advocacy Beyond the Chair: Shaping the Future of Healthcare, encourages dental students to advocate for important issues facing dental students and the patients they serve. There are still plenty of opportunities to get involved and earn up to six additional points in the ACP:

Monday, Nov. 30 is the last day to submit ACP scorecards. Participants who submit five valid scorecards will earn a custom Advocacy Certificate to add to their resumes and share on social media. Each scorecard counts toward a chapter's Chapter Challenge total, and earning a certificate awards the chapter an extra five bonus points.

Participating in the Stay in the “Loupe” Scavenger Hunt code? Submit code: AWARENESS

This week, ASDA joined other members of organized dentistry in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program requesting that dentistry qualify as a STEM degree for student visas. This would allow students on F-1 visas to have 24 additional months of training before they were required to work under an H-1B sponsorship. 

In 2024, ASDA’s House of Delegates adopted Policy A-16, which broadly advocates for the inclusion of dentistry as a STEM-designated degree program.

In October, the Department of Justice dropped appeals of two court decisions that struck down a prior controversial PSLF rule, securing a major win for PSLF borrowers. The Department of Education had previously proposed and adopted a rule that gave the Secretary of Education broad discretion over which employers operated for a “substantial illegal purpose,” and therefore would not qualify as a PSLF employer. The department’s decision to forego the appeals gives the 2.5 million program enrollees, dentists included, assurance that their current job will continue to qualify for the program.