ACA joins broad provider coalition opposing anti-patient legislation

Truth in Healthcare Marketing Act would restrict patient freedom to seek care from providers of their choice, increase healthcare costs.

May 1, 2015 — The Patients’ Access to Responsible Care Alliance (PARCA), a coalition of organizations representing the interests of millions of patients and non-MD/DO healthcare providers, is calling on Congress to reject new legislation that would limit patient access to needed care.

The Truth in Healthcare Marketing Act of 2015, introduced by Rep. Larry Buchan (R-Ind.), and David Scott (D-Ga.), would charge the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with launching a new effort aimed at identifying and documenting specific misleading or deceptive acts by healthcare providers.

“We’re concerned with the negative impact this misguided and misleading legislation could have on our patients to access necessary care,” said Anthony Hamm, DC, president of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), a member of the PARCA coalition. “Rather than helping to ensure that patients receive accurate information about healthcare providers, this bill could potentially cause greater patient confusion by calling into question the skills and training of this nation’s non-MD/DO healthcare professionals.”

As noted in its letter, PARCA agrees that individuals who are not qualified and/or appropriately licensed or certified to provide healthcare services should not be permitted to serve patients.

However, the coalition believes that patients benefit by having accurate information about, and greater access to, a wide range of healthcare services performed by the professionals educated, trained, and licensed or certified to perform those needed services.

PARCA coalition members, who represent a group of 800,000 non-MD providers, believe the proposed legislation will restrict patient freedom to seek care from the provider of their choice, stifle competition in the healthcare marketplace, and result in increased costs for patients, healthcare providers and the federal government.

The PARCA coalition, led and originally founded by ACA, aims to provide federal policymakers with access to information from all areas of the healthcare community, in order to assist in the formulation of responsible, well-rounded healthcare policy.

The diverse coalition includes groups such as the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the American Academy of Audiology, and the American Optometric Association. More information is available on the PARCA website.

Source: American Chiropractic Association