News From Our Nation's Capitol

[Guest guest]

News From Washington

DC

As most of you know I spent most of last week back East

lobbying our Congressmen and Senators regarding our federal chiropractic

issues. Last week was both the ACA’s House of Delegate meeting

where I represented all of you and the annual National Chiropractic Legislative

Conference. I and representatives from Western States

Chiropractic College

and 30 some WSCC students visited Capitol Hill to speak with our elected

officials. Here is what we discussed:

·

House Resolution

1017 Sponsored by the Chair of the House Veterans Affairs

Congressman Bob Filner (Cailf.) a huge support of chiropractic. This US

House bill would expand the number of chiropractic physicians at major VA

medical centers is the same legislation that passed the House last

Congressional session with only 1 no vote out of over 400 voting Congressmen

and women. The Congressional session ended before the bill could be heard

on the Senate side.

·

Ensure Chiropractic

Care is Fully Available to All Active Duty Military Personnel currently

doctors of chiropractic are providing care to active duty personal in all

branches of the military, but are currently limited to providing care at only

49 of the some 238 “Military Treatment Facilities” worldwide.

The ACA is pushing for chiropractic coverage for all Military Treatment

Center via lobbying

Congress to include this chiropractic treatment provision in the FY 2010 Defense

authorization Act.

·

Ensure chiropractic treatment for

veteran retirees, dependents, and survivor beneficiaries within the military

TRICARE system HR-484 introduced by Congressman Mike does just that and

the ACA is asking Congress to enact this important legislation that would cover

some 30 million estimate patients annually!

·

Medicare to cover

all the services under a chiropractic physician’s scope of practice and

by doing so delivery improved care at reduced costs to Medicare

beneficiaries. We are asking Congress to include this provision in the

Medicare Modernization ACT of 2003 (MMA, Public Law 108-173).

·

National Health

Care ensure that chiropractic services are fully included in any

national health care delivery system. The ACA is also ensuring that

unlike Medicare chiropractic physicians will have the legal ability to opt out

of any national healthcare system if in fact that system becomes unfair and onerous

to the profession.

Well that be my legislative report from our Nation’s

Capitol. I can tell you we had very positive feedback from our

Congressmen and Senators especially Sen. Ron Wyden who has authored the only

national health care delivery system/bill that has bipartisan support in

Congress! Quoting the Senator: “Vern,

of course you guys will be in, of anyone that should be, who needs to be in

this proposed system it’s you guys. You folks do a great job and

will probably save the system a lot of money!”

If you have questions on either our state or national

chiropractic legislation give me a call any time at 541-231-4528!!

Vern Saboe