Last week I was fortunate to attend the American Dental Association’s Washington Leadership Conference in Washington, DC, along with eight other Oregon dentists and Oregon Dental Association staff. The purpose of the meeting was to help us communicate with our congressional representatives on issues affecting dentistry and dental care for Oregonians. Dentists from all over the nation attended as we heard speakers on the recent health care legislation, issues affecting dental offices and patients, and communication. Our own Senator Ron Wyden met with our Oregon delegation and then spoke to the whole conference on the recently passed health care bill. In the photo, Dr. Wes Heringer of Salem and I are visiting the office of 4th District Representative Peter DeFazio. We thanked him for his support of two bills, including one that would make insurance companies subject to the antitrust laws that nearly every other industry is subject to. If the Senate passes the bill, it will make medical & dental insurers compete with each other and hopefully reduce costs and improve covered services for patients. It was interesting to learn more about political processes and how we as citizens can let our congressmen know our thoughts on issues and pending legislation.