Arlington, Va. – More than 700 chiropractic physicians, students and corporate partners joined the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) in Washington, D.C. today to visit with lawmakers on Capitol Hill as part of the 2016 National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC).
Chiropractic physicians from all walks of the profession converged on the nation’s capital to hear speeches from government leaders, receive advocacy training and urge elected officials to enact federal legislation that would achieve full physician status for doctors of chiropractic (DCs) in Medicare. NCLC attendees also pressed lawmakers to support bills that would benefit patients, help chiropractic graduates qualify for federal programs that would enable them to practice in underserved areas in exchange for student loan debt relief and expand access to chiropractic services for veterans and active-duty military personnel.
Congressional Keynote Speaker Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) – well-known for his support of quality health care for America’s veterans – discussed the need for chiropractic care to be made available to veterans returning from Iraq. “62 percent of our veterans coming home need musculoskeletal work,” said Sen. Isakson. “10.3 percent of veterans returning are women. They carry rucksacks over 70 pounds so they need chiropractic care.”
Attendees also heard from U.S. Representative Ryan Costello (R-Penn.), a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee; U.S. Representative Ron Kind, who serves on the Subcommittee on Health; and U.S. Representative Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
In his opening address to attendees, ACA President Anthony Hamm, DC, focused on the immediate need for profession-wide support for Medicare reform. Dr. Hamm went on to thank the growing number of chiropractic state associations, colleges and vendors supporting the National Medicare Equality Petition and ACA’s efforts to gain parity in Medicare with other healthcare providers.
In addition to grassroots advocacy, this year’s meeting will also give attendees the opportunity to hear more than 20 chiropractic physicians speak on various topics organized in four tracks: Patient Health, Clinical Practice, Principles and Methods and Integrated Practices. NCLC 2016 will offer more than 20 hours of clinical professional development, continuing education and business management coaching from leading experts.
Visit ACA’s YouTube channel for video excerpts of the NCLC 2016 speakers. Photos of the speakers are available upon request by e-mailing [email protected].
ATTRIBUTION TO THE 2016 NATIONAL CHIROPRACTIC LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE IS REQUESTED IN ALL NEWS COVERAGE.
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The American Chiropractic Association based in Arlington, Va., is the largest professional association in the United States representing doctors of chiropractic. ACA promotes the highest standards of ethics and patient care, contributing to the health and well-being of millions of chiropractic patients. Visit us at www.acatoday.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
