Medicare: Patient Access to Chiropractic

Update: ACA Plans to Reintroduce Medicare Bill in 2021

The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act was introduced in July 2019. Through the tireless efforts and support of ACA members, partners and supporters, 91 congressional cosponsors were signed on to H.R. 3654.

While the 116^th Congress ended before action was taken on the bill, as the 117^th Congress begins in January 2021 ACA’s government relations team is working to ensure that the bill will be reintroduced. The new bill will have a new number but will benefit from the momentum gained during the past 18 months.

More details about the process are available in this post on the ACA Blog.

Legislation championed by ACA to increase Medicare coverage of chiropractic services has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 3654) would allow Medicare beneficiaries access to the chiropractic profession’s broad-based, non-drug approach to pain management, which includes manual manipulation of the spine and extremities, evaluation and management services, diagnostic imaging and utilization of other non-drug approaches that have become an important strategy in national efforts to stem the epidemic of prescription opioid overuse and abuse.

H.R. 3654:

• Appropriately defines a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) as a “physician” in the Medicare program.
• Provides patient access to all Medicare-covered benefits allowable under a chiropractor’s state licensure.
• Requires that DCs complete a documentation webinar.
• Is bipartisan legislation, introduced by Reps. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y.).

H.R. 8702 and S. 5007:

Also, ACA is part of a coalition of more than fifty other provider groups supporting H.R. 8702 and S. 5007, which would ensure that payments to doctors of chiropractic remain at current 2020 levels through 2022. CMS released the final MFPS rule on Dec. 1, 2020. Click here (PDF - pages 1660-1661 of posted rule) for the estimated impact on total allowed charges by specialty, as posted by CMS.

Read our coalition's position here (PDF).

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Updates

Bill Introduced to Modernize Medicare Coverage of Chiropractic Services
July 9, 2019

Higgins & Reed Introduce Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2019
July 9, 2019

H.R. 3654 - 116th Congress
July 9, 2019

ACA Staff and Consultants Lay Groundwork for New Medicare Parity Bill
ACA Blogs, May 2019

"Bill to Expand Medicare's Chiropractic Coverage Brings Momentum to Historic Effort" (PDF)
The American Chiropractor, February 2019