HR1610: The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2023
Legislation championed by ACA to increase Medicare coverage of chiropractic services is attracting cosponsors faster than ever in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
Dear colleagues, I am encouraging you each to contact your Member of Congress and ask them to co-sponsor HR 1610, The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2023. You look up your Congressperson at www.House.gov
The following US Representatives were co-sponsors of the bill during the 2020-2022 Congressional Session but have not yet sponsored the bill during the current session:
- Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-2nd District: South Shore of Suffolk County including Babylon and Islip)
- Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY-6th District: Northern Queens including Elmhurst, Flushing, Bayside)
Other US Congresspeople from New York who have not yet co-sponsored the bill include:
- NY-1 Nick LaLota (R): (Suffolk Co. from Huntington east to Greenport and Speonk east to Montauk)
- NY-3 Tom Suozzi (D): (NE Queens, and Nassau Co. from Great Neck to Syosset and south to Massapequa)
- NY-4 Anthony D'Esposito (R): (Hempstead and Southern Nassau Co, east to Seaford)
- NY-5 Gregory Meeks (D): (Southeast Queens and Rockaways)
- NY-7 Nydia Velázquez (D): (Northwest Brooklyn, Long Island City, Maspeth)
- NY-8 Hakeem Jeffries (D): (Southern Brooklyn)
- NY-10 Dan Goldman (D): (Southern Manhattan, Northwest Brooklyn)
- NY-12 Jerry Nadler (D): (Midtown Manhattan, Upper West Side, Upper East Side)
- NY-13 Adriano Espaillat (D): (Upper Manhattan, West Bronx)
- NY-14 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D): (Northern Queens, Eastern South Bronx)
- NY-15 Ritchie Torres (D): (North and Central Bronx, Western South Bronx)
- NY-16 Jamaal Bowman (D): (Westchester Co. north to White Plains)
- NY-17 Mike Lawler (R): (Northern Westchester Co, Rockland and Putnam Counties)
- NY-18 Pat Ryan (D): (Orange, Duchess, Ulster Counties)
- NY-19 Marc Molinaro (R): (Catskills, Southern Tier from Ithaca East to Mass. Border)
- NY-22 Brandon Williams (R): (Syracuse to Utica)
Please call or email your Congressional Rep and ask them to co-sponsor this important legislation, and encourage your patients, friends, and colleagues to do the same. Once again, you can identify your Congressperson and find their contact information by searching at www.House.gov.
Below are some talking points on the legislation:
- This is Bipartisan legislation, with broad support among both Democratic and Republican Members of Congress.
- Currently 165 Co-sponsors: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1610/cosponsors
- The bill would allow Medicare patients to access the full scope of chiropractic services. Currently DC services are limited only to manual manipulation of the spine under Medicare, and the law has not been modernized in over 50 years.
- The bill would allow chiropractors to bill Medicare for services that are within their legal scope of practice in the state in which they practice; it does not change the scope of chiropractic practice.
- The current structure of Medicare requires DCs to charge Medicare beneficiaries for services not covered by Medicare. Medicare requires all chiropractors to perform an evaluation and management service to screen patients for safety and appropriateness before beginning treatment. However, Medicare does not cover this service, resulting in a significant financial barrier for potential patients.
- The bill has not yet been “scored” by the Congressional Budget Office, so there is no definitive information on costs. However, we believe it will result in overall cost savings by allowing Medicare beneficiaries to choose safe, conservative chiropractic care, avoiding powerful medications and costly surgical interventions.
More information: https://www.acatoday.org/news-publications/house-senate-reintroduce-bill-to-increase-medicare-coverage-of-chiropractic-services/
If you have any other questions, please let me know.
--Bill Lauretti, DC
Director, NYSCA Region 4
[email protected]
