Media coverage of chiropractic can be a blessing or a curse...and sometimes, it is both at once! On Sunday's front page, the Lansing State Journal highlighted some changes to the rules involving chiropractic care in Michigan. The reporter pointed to Governor Grahnolm's signing of Michigan's new 'scope of practice' law, which allows chiropractors to perform expanded services. This brings Michigan into step with all other 49 states, a very good thing.
In addition, the new federal health care act -- known as the Affordable Care Act -- will allow people to buy into health care exchanges permitting them insurance coverage of "essential health benefits," including "preventive and wellness services." The federal government is in the process of defining "essential" and "preventive," and we see this as an opportunity to promote chiropractic as a vital health care choice.
Our goal, as chiropractic care providers, is equitable treatment of chiropractors by the insurance industry. It is time for insurance companies to recognize chiropractic science as a part of Michigan's health care system, as their members have known for years.
The wellness philosophy of chiropractic, as well as its substantive healing power, are conducive to reducing costs and increasing quality of health care. It makes sense to include chiropractic care in a list of viable, insured treatment options for patients seeking natural, drug-free methodologies - and include it on an equal-coverage footing with other health care providers.
It was good to see this article in the LSJ. While it contained a couple mischaracterizations of current insurance coverage, and it opened the door for some rather uneducated comments from readers, overall, the article shed a positive light on the long-awaited need for change in the health care insurance system.
www.lansing-chiropractic.com
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