It Is Past Time to Modernize the Role of Chiropractic in Medicare
We could be saving money, saving lives, and improving health.
Today I received an email from the International Chiropractic Association asking me to help them pass a bill to modernize the Social Security Act to better cover chiropractic care in Medicare. Let me give you some background.
Chiropractic care was added to Medicare in 1972. Although the chiropractic adjustment was a covered service, exams and X-rays were not. When I began practice in 1985, the exam and X-rays could run over $200. Patients were paying out-of-pocket creating a barrier to care that did not exist for medical care.
I have been told by people claiming to be in the know, that chiropractors are required to be part of the Medicare system. Other physicians are allowed to opt out. I no longer have a Medicare number. It is unclear to me whether it is legal for me to see patients who are Medicare illegible.
Many of my patients came in for wellness care. That is not a Medicare service. As with most insurance, the patient must have a condition that requires treatment. It is unclear whether wellness care will be available after the modernization, but I imagine not.
I used the MAHA Action link to send a message to my congressman. The message is below. There is a place to put your own personal experience. I deleted the MAHA sentence and added my own. I italicized it for you.
“I urge you to vote in favor of the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act, H.R. 539 in the House and S. 106 in the Senate, strengthened by the profession’s three amendments: coverage defined by each state’s scope of practice with clear boundaries, equal Medicare opt-out rights for chiropractors, and a firm implementation timeline. One in three American seniors lives with chronic pain, yet Medicare still covers exactly one chiropractic service while the VA, the Department of Defense, federal employee health plans, and private insurance already recognize the fuller scope of care chiropractors are state-licensed to provide.
After nearly 40 years, I am retired from active practice. I was able to help many patients, often after regular medical care and physical therapy had proven insufficient.
This bill has one of the largest bipartisan coalitions of any health bill in Congress. It defers to each state’s scope of practice and explicitly excludes drugs, surgery, and obstetrics. Seniors have waited more than 50 years. Pass it this Congress.”
If you would like to help, go to MAHA Action. Fill out your information. Delete or customize the sentence on your experience with chiropractic. It will be sent to your representative. You might also subscribe to 1-4 substack accounts. You can always unsubscribe, if too much.
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