Arlington, Va. – The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 1610, has reached 100 cosponsors, a milestone achieved in just five months after the bill was reintroduced in Congress.
Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) is the latest member of the House to join the field of strong bipartisan support for the Medicare bill, which was evident from the start with its extended list of original sponsors: Reps. Gregory Steube (R-Fla.), Brian Higgins (D-N.Y), Mark Alford (R-Mo.) and John Larson (D-Conn.). A Senate companion bill, S. 799, was also introduced in April by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). An identical bill in the previous congressional session achieved more than 150 cosponsors before it expired in December 2022.
“The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) is grateful for the efforts chiropractors across the nation have made in recent months to expand support for the Medicare modernization legislation,” said John Falardeau, ACA senior vice president of public policy and advocacy. “The speed at which this bill achieved 100 cosponsors also tells us the groundwork laid in previous years helped to pave the way and that our message regarding the need for increased access to non-drug treatment options is resonating.”
The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act would update the federal statute that governs Medicare by removing its arbitrary limit on chiropractic services. Restricted now to coverage of just one service, Medicare beneficiaries under the updated language would have increased access to chiropractic’s broad-based, non-drug approach to pain management and health promotion, which includes not only manual manipulation of the spine and extremities, but also evaluation and management services, diagnostic imaging and other non-drug therapies.
The use of non-drug therapies as a first line of defense against common musculoskeletal pain is supported in clinical guidelines. Most recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its 2022 opioid prescribing guideline, stated, “Clinicians should maximize use of nonpharmacologic and nonopioid pharmacologic therapies as appropriate for the specific condition and patient[.]”
To view the full list of H.R. 1610/S. 799 cosponsors, and to learn how you can help increase support for the bill even further by contacting your members of Congress, visit www.acatoday.org/Medicare.
About the American Chiropractic Association
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) is the largest professional chiropractic organization in the United States. ACA attracts the most principled and accomplished chiropractors, who understand that it takes more to be called an ACA chiropractor. We are leading our profession in the most constructive and far-reaching ways — by working hand in hand with other health care professionals, by lobbying for pro-chiropractic legislation and policies, by supporting meaningful research and by using that research to inform our treatment practices. We also provide professional and educational opportunities for all our members and are committed to being a positive and unifying force for the practice of modern chiropractic. To learn more, visit www.acatoday.org.
###
