The 2003 National Chiropractic Legislative Conference proves to be a success with more than 400 attendees and guest speakers, such as HHS Secretary Tommy Thomson and DVA Secretary Anthony Principi

In the shadow of the Capitol Building, the 4-day 2003 National Chiropractic Legislative Conference (NCLC) on March 5–8, offered doctors of chiropractic and students at chiropractic colleges the chance to listen and speak with some of the most powerful health care leaders in Washington. This year’s NCLC was the most successful chiropractic public policy event and set the stage to build on the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and chiropractic profession’s significant legislative victories in recent years, including the enactment of legislation to include DCs in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) student loan repayment; to create a special advisory committee at the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) for implementation of the chiropractic care benefit established by Congress; and to further strengthen chiropractic options available through the Department of Defense (DoD).

Straight from Capitol Hill
The NCLC attendance numbers speak for themselves: two members of President Bush’s cabinet, more than a dozen congressmen and senators, and 400 DCs and chiropractic college students. Armed with ACA’s legislative issue briefs and concern for the well being of their patients, NCLC participants filled the hallways of the Capitol complex and succeeded in visiting the offices of all 435 representatives and 100 senators in just 3 days.

Though all members of Congress now have access to chiropractic care through the Office of the Attending Physician in the Capitol, a health benefit made possible by ACA-initiated legislation, some remain unfamiliar with the profession’s education requirements, balanced approach to health care, and positive patient outcomes and patient satisfaction. Also, the ACA Government Relations Department is ensuring that the meetings result in a strengthened Congressional Key Contact Program, the backbone of our aggressive grassroots operation, and follow-up visits in key House and Senate offices to sustain the level of interest.

The high-points of the conference were appearances by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson and Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi. In their remarks to the NCLC audience, both Thompson and Principi specifically recognized the important contributions made by chiropractors to health care in America, and indicated their willingness to work with the ACA on doing more to integrate chiropractic care into health care programs under the jurisdiction of their respective agencies. “Chiropractic care is a way for us to bind up the wounds of those who have done battle,” Secretary Principi said. “Your healing powers are at the service of those Americans who have the greatest claims on those powers.”

Several lawmakers spoke at the NCLC sessions, including Senators Arlen Specter (R-Pa), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), and Norm Coleman (R-Minn); and Representatives Jim Ramstad (R-Minn), William Janklow (R-SD), Bob Filner (D-Calif), Chris Chocola (R-Ind), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Goodlatte (R-Va), Mike Rogers (R-Ala), and Steve King (R-Iowa).

Senator Harkin, a longtime friend to the chiropractic profession, was as adamant as ever about the right of patients to access chiropractic services. “All Americans, regardless of what their plan is, should have full access to quality chiropractic care…Research isn’t enough. People need access to your services...You ought to be fully integrated into the health care system...We’re going to do everything we can to break through those barriers.”

The ACA presented Distinguished Leadership Awards to members of Congress who were instrumental in passing the NHSC and DVA legislation in 2002, including Representatives Filner; Billy Tauzin (R-La), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee; and Steve Buyer (R-Ind), a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and an Army reserve officer who has just been called to active duty and service in Iraq. Each of these legislators has shown great interest in the profession and working to pass new legislation that will expand access to chiropractic care.

Like many of his colleagues, Representative Ramstad urged NCLC attendees to stay politically active so that they can affect issues like Medicare reform. “Expanding and improving access to chiropractic care is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also the cost-effective thing to do…and Congress should do it now.” Ramstad, who sits on the House Ways and Means subcommittee on health issues, was also insistent that the new chiropractic benefits—particularly the DoD benefit—be implemented soon to make DC services available to military personnel who are involved in the war in Iraq. “This law must be implemented sooner than later. We need to do it today. That’s the least we can do for our nation’s men and women on active duty,” Ramstad said.

Laws and Orders
Since the NHSC legislation was signed into law by President Bush last year, the ACA, joined by the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC), has been working with HHS and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on an array of implementation issues. After initial discussions with Secretary Thompson’s staff, the first official implementation meeting was held on February 25 in the office of Captain Kerry Paige Nesseler, an HRSA official and a senior officer in the US Public Health Service.

The ACA and HRSA are developing acceptable parameters and participation procedures for the first group of doctors of chiropractic to be selected to serve in NHSC, possibly as early as this year. The DCs selected to serve in the NHSC will take their place for at least a 2-year term as fully qualified health providers in targeted, medically underserved rural or urban areas. In consideration of their service, they will receive a student loan reimbursement up to $25,000 per year. (For more details of the program, visit: www.hrsa.gov or http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov, or contact the ACA Government Relations Department.)

Similarly, in recent weeks, the ACA has been hearing from DCs about the status of the chiropractic care benefit in the veterans health care system. In addition to making the case directly to Secretary Principi and our friends in Congress, the ACA and ACC are closely following the work of a special DVA advisory committee on chiropractic care that is going to determine exactly how DCs can offer services in DVA health care facilities. The panel met in Washington at DVA headquarters on March 25, and listened to testimony from James Edwards, DC, Chairman of ACA Board of Governors, who described how important it is for veterans to have direct access to chiropractic care and that DCs are able to practice under the full scope of their state license (full text at: http://www.acatoday.org/government/va/032803.shtml.)

The ACA will continue to closely monitor developments in key federal agencies and on Capitol Hill, and develop new strategies to realize the goal of fully integrating chiropractic care into the NHSC, DVA, DoD and other government health care programs. Although accurate and up-to-date information are effective lobbying tools, there is no substitute for mobilizing DCs and future DCs from across the country for whom the ACA speaks. CP

Jon Hymes is the ACA vice president of government relations. He was a senior legislative advisor and campaign strategist for two members of Congress. Hymes can be reached via email: jhymes@amerchiro.org.