November 2002

Legislation Allows Chiropractors to Receive
Student Loan Reimbursement

Arlington, VA – The U.S. Congress passed the Health Care Safety Net Improvement Act (S. 1533) on October 17. The legislation will make doctors of chiropractic eligible to participate in the National Health Service Corps’ (NHSC) student loan reimbursement program (SEC. 338L. – Demonstration Project). The decision comes after nearly two years of lobbying on behalf of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC). The full text of the bill, including the section pertaining to doctors of chiropractic, can be found on www.congress.gov.

The NHSC is a federally-funded program which allows, under certain circumstances, health care professionals engaged in the delivery of primary care services to be reimbursed for student loans in return for establishing and maintaining their practices in geographic areas designated as “medically underserved” by the federal government.

Once sign into law by President Bush, the legislation will allow doctors of chiropractic to take part in a three-year pilot program. Afterwards, Congress will review the results of the test and consider making the chiropractic profession a permanent fixture in the program.

“This is another significant victory for the chiropractic profession,” said ACA Chairman James Edwards, DC. “It sends a strong signal that chiropractic care should be considered an essential element in the delivery of health care in this nation.”

Industry News from:
Chiropractic News from: