It was great to see so many of you in Washington last week for Chiropractic’s Day on Capitol Hill…the energy and the enthusiasm was indeed palpable!
If you haven’t yet followed up with congressional staff from your meetings, please start doing so. Following up is integral in getting the representative or senator to cosponsor our bills. I’ve included a great example of a follow-up email by Dr. Alli Totzke-Hitzeroth, ACA’s Virginia alternate delegate, to congressional staff regarding a Capitol Hill meeting she attended last week:
From: Alli Totzke [email protected]
Sent: Monday, January 27, 2025 8:00 AM
To: XXXXXXXXXXXX
Cc: John Falardeau [email protected]
Subject: Thank you for meeting on HR539
Thank you for taking the time to meet with us last week to talk about H.R. 539, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage for all physicians’ services furnished by doctors of chiropractic within the scope of their license, and for other purposes.
As a review, patients come to us for help when they are in pain. They may have an injury, an illness, or are simply feeling the effect of time. Unfortunately, for many of our patients, their lifelong relationship with their doctor ends when they turn 65 and they lose access to their trusted chiropractor because Medicare doesn’t cover many of the benefits they need most.
Based on our conversations, I have provided the following information to aid in better understanding the importance of this bill and answer some of the questions you had.
• a research summary for reduced opioid use and cost saving measures
• an article around Medicare usage in Virginia (1.6 million individuals!)
Further, I have attached a list of the cosponsors from last session. We anticipate a similar level of support for this congress.
The congressman has also indicated other bills that focused on accessibility and support in health care during the 118th Congress, such as:
- H.R. 4901
- H.R. 8244
- H.R. 7059
These bills continue to support accessibility to care, which we believe our bill will further aid, as well.
Should you have any additional questions that I can answer or feel that our perspective may be helpful in other bills, please do not hesitate to contact me. We look forward to having Representative Connolly as a cosponsor for this bill soon. Thank you again for your time.
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After the Meeting: Feeling Ghosted?
Don’t get discouraged if you feel you are being “ghosted” after your meeting. Below are some suggestions to perhaps add to your follow-ups and re-engage your congressman’s office:
1. Get a Timeline: Ask staff for a timeline on when you may be hearing back from them.
2. Ask for Updates: Don’t be afraid to ask to be kept updated during the cosponsor process.
3. Don’t Assume: Silence from a staffer may not mean you’re being ghosted. Hill staff may be able to provide you a timeline for the decision-making process, but not hearing from them immediately does not mean it’s a lost cause.
4. Keep Exploring: Some members simply may not cosponsor, but send one last follow-up anyway. Maybe have several patients call the office and ask the member to cosponsor. Bottom line, be creative.
Finally, if you haven’t done so already, please remember to fill out the debriefing form for each of your visits. These debriefing forms help us throughout the year here in Washington.
Click here to access the debrief form.
Of course, please feel free to contact me with any questions. You can reach me at [email protected].
