May 2006

Grassroots effort kills controversial
small-business healthcare bill

The combined grassroots efforts of the American Chiropractic Association, the International Chiropractors Association, and the World Chiropractic Alliance — along with a number of major consumer groups — had the desired effect: S.1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act (or association healthcare bill) was defeated in the Senate on May 11.

The bill was withdrawn from the Senate floor when Democrats threatened to filibuster.

Consumer advocacy groups against the bill included the AARP and the American Diabetes Association.

The Senate voted 55-43 to stop considering the bill. It needed 60 votes to go on to a debate that would have led to a vote on final passage.

Defeat of the bill was the focus of the ACA’s legislative conference in March. “The ACA extends an enormous ‘thank you’ to the entire chiropractic profession — state associations, individual doctors, patients, students, chiropractic college leaders, and other organizations – everyone who joined together to successfully defeat this potentially devastating legislation,” said ACA President Richard Brassard, DC.

Like the ACA, the ICA also aimed efforts at defeating the bill, including making it the centerpiece of the Chiropractic Coalition’s legislative day in early May. The Chiropractic Coalition is comprised of ICA, WCA, and the Federation of Straight Chiropractors and Organizations (FSCO).

“This wise disposition of bad legislation … is a victory for every consumer in the United States and a boost to the chiropractic profession’s prospects for ever enjoying a level playing field in the healthcare marketplace,” said ICA President John K. Maltby, DC.

Michael S. McLean, DC, co-chair of the ICA Political Action Committee said, “This episode in the legislative history of the chiropractic profession is an important signal rocket alerting us to the urgent need … to mobilize the greatest possible levels of political strength.”

All of the chiropractic associations, plus other chiropractic organizations, such as the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations and the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research, rallied against the bill and encouraged individual chiropractors to get patients involved in contacting their legislators.

According to the bill’s opponents, the bill would have removed state authority over coverage and chiropractic care could have been eliminated as a healthcare benefit.

Sources: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org; Market Watch, www.marketwatch.com

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