Verena Mikhail, MHA, already had some background in grassroots advocacy and student government when she arrived at the California Capitol for CDA’s annual Student Advocacy Day on March 11. But she had never participated in organized advocacy for dentistry and patients’ access to oral health care. She called the event inspiring — and a privilege.
“I served on the Lobby Corps Committee during my years pursuing a master’s in health care administration at CSU Long Beach, and I traveled to Sacramento in 2024 to meet with legislators on other issues, but I never thought I would have the opportunity to go to the Capitol as a dental student — let alone in my white coat!” Mikhail said.
A first-year student at Western University College of Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, Mikhail came to Sacramento with a group of 29 students from all seven dental schools in California to advocate for three CDA-sponsored bills. The students also discussed the devastating impact the federal government’s proposed Medicaid cuts would have on the state’s Medi-Cal Dental program.
“My experience was inspiring,” Mikhail added. “Advocacy is both a privilege and a duty. Our patients come to us seeking resolution for their individual dental concerns, but through advocacy, we can guide and reform policy, allowing us to serve many patients at one time.”
‘I believe our perspectives were genuinely heard’
Preparation always comes first on Student Advocacy Day. CDA briefs the students on the legislation and other major issues in the morning before the delegation heads to the Capitol — usually on foot — a few blocks away. Small-group meetings coordinated by CDA occur throughout the day, allowing the students to have in-depth, interactive conversations with lawmakers and legislative staff.
Tony Qu, a first-year dental student at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry, also joined CDA’s Student Advocacy Day for the first time and said he was “deeply impressed” by the briefing he received.
“CDA provided a clear and fast-paced breakdown of each bill and its potential impact on dental professionals and patients,” Qu said.
Qu reflected on the opportunity, as a dental student, to speak directly with representatives about critical issues that affect the dental profession and patients.
“Despite being new to the legislative process, I felt empowered and valued, and I believe our perspectives were genuinely heard,” he said. “The experience underscored how small changes in policy can have far-reaching impacts, and it reinforced my commitment to advocacy.”
VCC fees ‘diminish the value of dental coverage’
All student participants had a chance to discuss three of the five bills CDA is sponsoring in the current legislative session: AB 371 (Haney, D-San Francisco), which addresses the growing inadequacy of dental plan networks; SB 386 (Limon, D-Santa Barbara), which would protect dentists from predatory virtual credit cards; and AB 350 (D-Oakland), which would remove barriers to preventive dental care by expanding access to fluoride varnish treatments for children.
Speaking with legislative aides about SB 386, Qu said he emphasized that the VCC’s processing fees, which can reach 10% per transaction, divert crucial health care dollars away from patient care.
“These fees diminish the value of dental coverage. I stressed that dental practitioners have the right to understand, select and authorize their preferred payment methods.”
Currently, dentists do not have an easy way to opt out of VCC payments, and plans will sometimes reinstitute this payment method even after a dentist opts out. SB 386 would not only create a clear opt-out process but would bar dental plans from using VCCs as the default method when reimbursing dentists the amount they are owed for contracted services.
‘Why should patients be penalized?’ Advocating for AB 371
CDA-sponsored AB 371 would require dental plans in California to comply with enrollees’ assignment of benefit requests — on par with how most medical plans in the state handle these requests. Currently, dental plans’ AOB denials present a barrier to care for patients, who must pay 100% of the treatment costs upfront and wait to be reimbursed.
“AB 371 is all about making sure that patients can get care regardless of where they are,” Mikhail said.
She spoke about the dentist-patient relationship in her conversations with legislators’ offices.
“A patient may be comfortable with a provider who is out of network. Why should patients be penalized for receiving care from a dentist who is simply in a different location than someone in network?”
AB 371 also tackles the related problem of inadequate provider networks. Having commercial dental insurance means the plans’ enrollees should have access to quality dental care within a reasonable time frame and distance from their home and workplace.
“My team addressed how these time and travel barriers decrease accessibility to care and have adverse effects on children’s and adults’ oral health and that AB 371 would help close this gap,” Mikhail said.
Specifically, AB 371 would implement more stringent standards for dental plan networks to reduce the time patients must wait for an appointment or the distance they must travel. The current required standards for dental plans are well below the standards for medical plans.
Both Mikhail and Qu attended the press conference for AB 371, which was held in front of the Capitol. Assemblymember Matt Haney, the bill’s author, and CDA President Max Martinez, DDS, spoke on the bill with California dental students standing behind them in their white coats.
“The energy at the press conference was particularly moving,” Qu said. Both students called the event a highlight of their day at the Capitol.
‘I encourage all students to get involved in advocacy’
Mikhail and Qu had some parting thoughts about their experience — and some advice for their fellow dental students.
Mikhail acknowledged that getting her MHA has helped shaped her views on advocacy.
“It opened my eyes to laws and policies that affect patient care and need to improve,” she said. “My efforts did not finish upon completing my master’s degree but rather are just starting. The policies being discussed today will shape our profession for years, if not decades, to come.”
Qu said being a voice for others and amplifying unheard voices “is not something to shy away from.”
“I encourage all students to get involved in advocacy,” he said. “As a first-year dental student, I can say with confidence that our voices matter. We cannot simply ponder the day that reform will happen. It happens through us.”
Mikhail agreed and offered a quote from her group leader: “Elected officials have heard from lobbyists many times, but they need to hear from you — the future of the dental profession and those whom these bills will truly impact. As future dental professionals, we and our patients are directly affected by these decisions.”
CDA will keep members informed about the bills as they move through the Legislature.
Learn more about AB 371 and SB 386. See all bills CDA is sponsoring plus other major issues and priorities for CDA. See ways you can get involved in CDA advocacy, or join our call to action on AB 371.