Health Care Reform Alert!

This CHIROPRACTIC ACTION ALERT BULLETIN concerns impending action by the U.S. Congress to enact national health care reform legislation – and it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you RESPOND WITHOUT DELAY as outlined below.

Dear Patient:

As you may know, Congress recently adjourned for its traditional August recess period without completing work on a finalized national health reform bill.  However, immediately after Labor Day, Congress is expected to accelerate the reform process – and most observers continue to predict the enactment of a completed comprehensive bill in the fall of this year.

Unless you take effective action NOW – the final bill to be enacted into law will likely fail to include the full range of safeguards and protections needed in order to ensure full and expanded access to chiropractic services – and the fair treatment of DCs and their patients by private insurance companies and government run insurance plans.

Regarding a finalized, national reform bill, the following remain high priorities of the entire chiropractic profession and patients:

1. Ensuring the inclusion of provider “non-discrimination” provisions that will effectively address on-going concerns regarding parity reimbursement and fair inclusion.

2. Ensuring that the criteria utilized in determining specific services to be included in any package of “minimum benefits” is favorable to chiropractic and patients.

3. To the maximum extent possible, achieve the preservation of state enacted consumer and provider protections favorable to chiropractic and patients.

To ensure success with respect to the above, we must GREATLY INTENSIFY the grassroots lobbying efforts and sustain them over the crucial congressional recess period that will continue through Labor Day.  Accordingly, it is IMPERATIVE YOU TAKE THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIED ACTION STEPS NOW:

1. Immediately go online to ACA’s CHIROVOICE Legislative Action Center

2. You are also encouraged to CALL your elected representatives and express your concerns.  Using your own words can be highly effective – and ACA Talking Points you can use to help frame an appropriate message are available here

These additional steps can also be helpful:

1. During the recess period which runs through August, attempt to VISIT THE NEAREST LOCAL OFFICE your U.S. House Member

2. Many Members of Congress will be holding “town hall” meetings open to the public.  Again, go to House.gov

Also read and be familiar with documents produced through the Chiropractic Summit to help educate and inform your federal lawmakers about chiropractic’s concerns and aspirations in health care reform.  Print those publications and hand-deliver them to your representatives or their staff members.

• The Path to Change in the US Health Care System: The Chiropractic Perspective
• The Path to Change in the US Health Care System: Cost-Effectiveness Supplement