April 2001

Watkins Introduces Freedom of Choice Act

WASHINGTON - Rep. Wes Watkins, R-Okla., has introduced legislation that would require Medicare to reimburse doctors of chiropractic for the full scope of services they are licensed to provide under state law. Titled the ``Chiropractic Patients' Freedom of Choice Act,'' or H.R. 902, supporters say the legislation would ensure Medicare beneficiaries access to high-quality, cost-effective care and could save Medicare and other payers billions of dollars annually.

Currently, Medicare patients have access to only a very limited chiropractic benefit in the Medicare program -- manual manipulation of the spine to correct a subluxation. As a result of this limited access to chiropractic services, Medicare beneficiaries are denied benefits they are entitled to receive.

``This situation has deprived both beneficiaries and the program itself of the health benefits and cost savings that might result from full and open competition between doctors of chiropractic and other Medicare providers,'' said ACA president Dr. James A. Mertz. ``Numerous research and actuarial studies all point to the fact that chiropractic services could save the Medicare program billions of dollars each year.''

According to the ACA, the proposed legislation would not add or require coverage of a single new service under the Medicare program. Rather, it would simply provide beneficiaries access to currently covered Medicare services when performed by doctors of chiropractic.

For example, Medicare currently covers diagnostic x-ray services when performed by allopathic and osteopathic radiologists. Under this proposal, patients would receive coverage for that same service when furnished by a chiropractor, since the performance of x-rays falls within a chiropractor's legal scope of practice. Where there is overlap between the services Medicare covers and the services chiropractors are licensed to perform, beneficiaries would enjoy the ability to obtain care from a chiropractor.

Source: American Chiropractic Association

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