President

PRESIDENT 100 Miles is Not That Far…

By Dr. Stephen Morgan President, Louisiana Dental Association

One hundred miles in a plane is 20 minutes. One hundred miles in a car is an hour and a half. One hundred miles running.....that’s insane!

Justifying to an insurance company the necessity of a crown when it’s denied is relatively standard. Legislating for an increased dental reimbursement ratio similar to that of medical proportions…that’s unheard of and impossible…..and it was until November 8, 2022.

I awoke at 4 a.m. for the 6 a.m. race start. It was called the Screaming Monkeys 100 Miler. On a 15.5-mile loop in Keithville, La., just south of Shreveport, 23 runners lined up at the start for the arduous task of completing 6+ loops of a 100-mile run through trails, over hills, around stumps, and muddy water puddles. Screaming Monkey race got its name from the primate facility in the middle of Eddie Jones Park, the location of the race. Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., I heard the calls of the monkeys back and forth and understood the name. At this point, I was on mile 28 and still had 72 to run. The distance seemed impossible. A dental legislative battle had also been gradually garnering attention. Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approved ballot Question 2, with 72% of voters polled, which delivered the first-in-the-nation dental insurance reform that will assure patient dollars are spent on patient care, protect consumers from significant increases in dental premiums, and provide increased transparency and accountability for dental insurer spending. The better dental benefits and consumer protections afforded by Question 2 are poised to be replicated in states across the country.

The Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) and the American Dental Association (ADA) endorsed a “Yes” vote on Question 2 and led the campaign for its passage through the Massachusetts Dental Care Providers for Better Benefits Committee. The campaign, which garnered support from our own LDA and many other states, worked tirelessly to secure support from dental teams and oral health care providers across the country, from Massachusetts dental providers, to consumer advocates and elected

Steve Morgan, LDA President Dr. Stephen Morgan, and Avery Morgan at the Screaming Monkeys 100 Miler.