The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) urges doctors of chiropractic around the country to contact their senators in the U.S. Congress immediately in support of new legislation that offers a financial lifeline to rural hospitals as well as health care providers adversely affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The legislation, known as the Immediate Relief for Rural Facilities and Providers Act, was introduced by Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) to address the impending crisis facing the U.S. health care system as the spread of COVID-19 increasingly strains hospitals and individual providers, compromising their ability to meet the needs of patients now and potentially into the future.
The Bennet/Barrasso legislation would:
- Provide stabilization and relief for all ambulatory surgery centers and health care providers, including chiropractors, with an emergency, one-time grant equal to their total payroll from Jan. 1-April 1, 2019.
- Provide funding for all ambulatory surgery centers and health care providers, including chiropractors, by authorizing the Small Business Administration to provide low-interest loans at a 0.25% interest rate that will not accrue until two years after the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.
“Like small business owners across the country, chiropractors are facing financial challenges that could lead to very difficult decisions down the road. This relief package offers many a real chance to make it through this crisis and continue to serve their communities,” said ACA President Robert C. Jones, DC.
Action Needed:
To support the bill, chiropractors and their supporters should contact their senators via the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (or find your state senators’ offices here) and ask them to include the “Immediate Relief for Rural Facilities and Providers Act,” sponsored by Sens. Bennet and Barrasso, in the current Senate COVID-19 relief package.
To learn more, visit www.acatoday.org.