ADA Council on Members Insurance and Retirement Programs

Members of the Council on Members Insurance and Retirement Programs must consider matters that are usually unrelated to their professional education and prior experience.  As Trustees of the ADA Members Retirement Program, the members of the Council are fiduciaries, with powers set forth in the Program’s Trust Agreements.  A high level of technical expertise in group insurance and tax-qualified retirement plans is not mandatory, but good business sense and judgment are imperative.  Council members must also evaluate the member programs from the point of view of a self-employed dentist.

In addition, the following qualifications are seen as being desirable for a member of the Council:

  1. experience with constituent or component dental society insurance programs so as to have a familiarity with insurance terminology and the operation of group plans;
  2. familiarity with the financial markets, particularly the market for mutual funds as well as an understanding of general investment concepts (e.g., risk vs. return; investment time horizon; diversification, etc.) and familiarity with investment terminology;
  3. the ability to effectively communicate the actions and viewpoints of the Council to the membership and the Association’s leadership; and
  4. objectivity in decision making, with no bias toward specific age groups, localities or areas of dental practice, in order to reach decisions that are beneficial to the broad membership.

Prospective candidates for the council must have no conflicts of interests, as defined in the Bylaws and Standing Rules for Council and Commissions, upon their appointment to the Council.  Members of the Council on Members Insurance and Retirement Programs, during their terms on the Council, shall not serve as an officer, director, employee, agent or consultant of any company or organization that offers products that compete, or may potentially compete, with products and programs offered to ADA members through the Council.  Nor shall Council members serve, during their terms on the Council, on the insurance council or committee of a constituent or component dental society or other dental organization, or any subsidiary of a dental organization that offers or may offer competing products or programs.