Wisconsin Chiropractic Association supports federal legislation to increase coverage of chiropractic services for America’s seniors

The Wisconsin Chiropractic Association (WCA) has joined 49 other national, regional and state chiropractic organizations lending their support to proposed federal legislation that would ensure seniors in Wisconsin and nationwide have access to the full scope of services their chiropractors are allowed to provide under state law.

WCA has been one of the most active state chiropractic groups in the nation working to generate support for the bipartisan bill, the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 3654), which aims to give seniors more access to non-drug options for pain relief in the wake of the opioid epidemic as well as well as reduce logistical obstacles to accessing that care.

Since 1972, Medicare beneficiaries have been covered for only one chiropractic service—manual manipulation of the spine—forcing them to access additional medically necessary care from other types of providers or to pay out of pocket for those services from their chiropractor.

H.R. 3654 was introduced this summer by Reps. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y.). It would enable Medicare beneficiaries to more easily access the chiropractic profession’s broad-based, non-drug approach to pain management, which includes covered services such as manual manipulation of the spine and extremities, evaluation and management services, diagnostic imaging as well as other non-drug approaches that have become an important strategy in national efforts to stem the epidemic of prescription opioid overuse and abuse.

The opioid epidemic has brought to light the need for greater access to non-drug forms of pain relief for patients of all ages. In fact, between 1993 and 2012, hospitalizations for opioid overuse increased fivefold among Americans age 45 to 85 and older, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

As a group, musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain, neck pain, joint pain, arthritis and osteoporosis are the second most commonly reported conditions among those age 65 and older. Back pain is also one of the leading reasons for which opioids are prescribed, even though research has shown that opioids do not provide clinically meaningful pain relief for people with chronic back pain.

Chiropractic care is widely recognized as one of the safest drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of back pain and other musculoskeletal complaints. In 2017, the American College of Physicians (ACP) updated its guidelines for the treatment of acute and chronic low-back pain to recommend first using non-invasive, non-drug treatments—including spinal manipulation—before resorting to over-the-counter and prescription drugs. In recent years, the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, the FDA and the Joint Commission, which accredits all major hospital systems, have all taken similar positions in support of the use of non-drug treatments as a first line of defense against pain.

Learn more at www.HR3654.org.