The fourth time was the charm for NADP’s advocacy day on the Hill, Advocacy in Action (AIA). Not only did the weather fully cooperate (past events were impacted by rain, tornados, and freaky snowstorms), but members moved the needle on knowledge of dental benefits in more than 70 meetings with members of Congress and their staff.
The first AIA event was scheduled in January 2016 and rescheduled to May 2016 due to snow. Events in 2017 and 2018 were impacted as well from weather. This time around, members and staff reported at a debriefing dinner that many staff and members had a base knowledge of dental benefit issues and recalled prior meetings with NADP with some even recognizing or knowing the NADP member or staffer.
Just listening to the highlights of each person’s day was inspiring and showed how together we can advance the industry even in these partisan political times. While it takes some prep to identify your company’s footprint in the states where you will be meeting with Congressional representatives, it is surprisingly easy to pick up the key points on issues that can be influenced by Congress and contribute to the conversations.
About 40% of the participants were new to the event and found it invigorating to interact with members and staff. And in a couple of instances, there were significant breakthroughs with influential members that found a way forward on issues that had been stuck in limbo between Congress and federal agencies. Here are some of the highlights and feedback from the event. [read more]