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US Government
US House of Representatives passes
bill to provide chiropractic to U.S. Military Veterans
This legislative initiative was the product of many years of discussion, negotiations and education and came only after numerous attempts by the chiropractic profession and the Congress to persuade the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) to develop and implement a meaningful chiropractic program on their own. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration and action. Some of the highlights of the bill include:
  • The establishment of on-going, regular chiropractic care as a routine benefit at all DVA facilities.
  • The establishment of a chiropractic oversight committee to assist in the rapid implementation of full chiropractic availability within the DVA.
  • A mandatory schedule for deploying in-facility doctors of chiropractic at all DVA medical centers, adding on-site practitioners at 30 sites per year until all locations have in-facility coverage. The first 30 sites are to be identified within sixty days of final passage of the bill.
  • The securing of “primary care provider status” for DCs so that all eligible veterans can have direct access to chiropractic care without the need for a referral from a medical doctor.
  • The appointment of a senior doctor of chiropractic to serve as a Director of Chiropractic Services within the DVA. This key individual would be directly responsible to the Secretary for Veterans Affairs and thus able to by-pass a historically hostile and obstructionist medical bureaucracy.
  • The establishment of an effective program of training and education to inform and orient other providers and beneficiaries as to the important role and availability of chiropractic services within the DVA.
US Military to get chiropractic
An Associated Press story of Nov. 26, 2000, reports on legislation passed by the US Congress that mandates that chiropractic care be made available to all active-duty personnel in the United States armed forces. Prior to the bill passage personnel in the military had to pay for chiropractic services out of their own pockets.  When this bill is implemented, military personnel will be able to receive chiropractic care just as they do the medical care they receive without any out of pocket expense.

Pvt. Robert Zemla, who started having back pains from a car accident and decided to go to a chiropractor, is one soldier excited about the news. "All the military doctors do is give you painkillers and tell you to take (physical therapy) at your own pace," the 27-year-old private stated. "I wanted to feel some real relief."

The program will be phased in over a 5 year period. How it will exactly work  depends on the US Department of Defense implementation plan, yet to be released.
United State Department of Defense
report on chiropractic shows benefits
A report of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) on the Chiropractic Health Care Demonstration Project was finalized by DOD consultants Birch and Davis and was submitted to the U.S. Congress. The report authors, were cautious at best with their recommendations but the results of the study speak for themselves. The following are some of the statistics of patient responses to chiropractic care verses medical care.
  • How satisfied are you with improvement in your condition: Excellent: Chiropractic care, 81.5% v. 55.6% for medical care.
  • How satisfied are you with the practitioner's willingness to spend time with you:  Excellent: Chiropractic care, 93.7% v. 77.5%  for medical care.
  • How satisfied are you with the explanation of your treatment: Excellent: Chiropractic care, 95.1% v. 81.1%  for medical care.
  • What best describes you today?  Not restricted: Chiropractic care, 48.5% v 32.1%  for medical care. Somewhat restricted Chiropractic care, 44.1% v. 50.0  for medical care.  Very restricted: Chiropractic care, 7.4% v. 17.9%  for medical care.
  • What is your current level of activity: * Not restricted: Chiropractic care, 73.4% v. 53.9%  for medical care.  Somewhat restricted: Chiropractic care, 19.2% v. 29.4%  for medical care.  Very restricted: Chiropractic care, 7.4% v. 17.7%  for medical care.
  • I feel better now * Strongly agree: Chiropractic care, 78.5% v. 49.2%  for medical care.  Somewhat agree: Chiropractic care, 14.6% v. 22.0%  for medical care.  Strongly disagree: Chiropractic care, 6.9% v. 28.8%  for medical care.
    I had good results from the treatment * Strongly agree: Chiropractic care, 82.9% v. 50.7%  for medical care.  Somewhat agree: Chiropractic care, 12.6% v. 24.8%  for medical care.   Strongly disagree: Chiropractic care, 4.6% v. 24.6%  for medical care.
  • The pain is worse now * Strongly agree: Chiropractic care, 4.4% v. 9.9%  for medical care.  Somewhat agree: Chiropractic care, 7.6% v. 19.6%  for medical care.   Strongly disagree: Chiropractic care, 88.0% v. 70.5%  for medical care.
    Days off duty (0 days) Chiropractic care, 87.1% v. 66.1%  for medical care.  (1-4 days) Chiropractic care, 9.6% v. 25.8%  for medical care.(5+ days) 3.3% v. 8.0%  for medical care.
  • Days on restricted duty (0 days) Chiropractic care, 71.5% v. 51.1%  for medical care.(1-4 days) Chiropractic care, 4.2% v. 8.2%  for medical care.  (5+days) Chiropractic care, 2.3% v. 40.7% for medical care.
US Government agency sued
by chiropractic group
Since 1998 the American Chiropractic Association has been involved in a lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services, (HHS) claiming that Medicare was illegally denying chiropractic services to recipients in Medicare HMOs.  Both Reuters Health and PRNewswire of January 25th 2001 reported on this case.  According to these reports the chiropractic group has just cleared a major hurdle when a federal court rejected a request from HHS to dismiss the lawsuit. 

The main argument is that Medicare has determined that beneficiaries who want chiropractic and are entitled to these services by law can be sent to non-chiropractors for the same services.  HHS feels that other types of health professionals can give chiropractic care, and therefore by not offering these services by a chiropractor HHS is not in violation of any federal law.  The chiropractors argue that the law specifically says that such services are rendered by chiropractors and that no other health care professional is qualified or safe at rendering chiropractic care.  With this latest victory, the chiropractors case will continue.
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