Ever since anyone can remember, the allopathic paradigm (conventional medicine with its prescription drugs, surgical procedures, chemotherapy, etc., et al) has been at odds with all holistic and/or complementary/natural modalities and their approach to healing and health. The American Medical Association was founded in 1847 to do away with homeopathy, which had a better cure record at that time than medical doctors in those days—or so the story goes!
Over the course of time, chiropractic physicians [Doctor of Chiropractic—DC] took the brunt of allopathic medicine’s slings and arrows of outrageousness. Eventually a court case in the late 1980s finally set the record straight about the AMA’s conspiracy against chiropractors.
According to The New York Times of August 29, 1987:
The American Medical Association led an effort to destroy the chiropractic profession by depriving its practitioners of association with medical doctors and by calling them ”unscientific cultists” or worse, a Federal district judge has ruled. [….]
“The lawsuit, filed by four chiropractors, accused the Chicago-based A.M.A., four of its officials and 10 other medical groups of conspiring to prevent chiropractors from practicing in the United States. [….]
Judge Getzendanner said the function of the A.M.A.’s Committee on Quackery formed in 1962 was to destroy the chiropractic profession. [….]Judge Getzendanner said that the organization ”had never acknowledged the lawlessness of its past conduct and maintains to this day it has always been in compliance with antitrust laws.”
”There has never been an affirmative statement by the A.M.A. that it is ethical to associate with chiropractors,” she said. [….]
Five defendants settled earlier, affirming the rights of chiropractors. They were the Illinois Medical Society, the American Hospital Association, the Chicago Medical Society, the American Osteopathic Association and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. [1]
Even though much of the former animosity between the AMA and chiropractors has dissipated or been defused professionally—I’ve even seen some DCs on staff in hospitals now—there’s been a huge disparity regarding chiropractic healthcare when it comes to health insurances, especially services covered for reimbursement and/or care. No insurance provider has been more discriminatory in that respect than the U.S. government’s Medicare insurance!
Well, the American Chiropractic Association has instituted a plan of action to get more insurance coverage and started a petition campaign titled “Give Seniors the Medicare Coverage They Need and Deserve: Full Access to and Reimbursement for Services Provided by Doctors of Chiropractic.” [2]
According to my personal chiropractor—and I’ve been a chiropractic patient since 1974, here’s how DCs stack up under Medicare:
As it stands now, Medicare reimburses chiropractors for only one service, spinal manipulation. However in the State of Pennsylvania chiropractic doctors are licensed to perform a number of services in addition to spinal manipulation.
For example, [those services include] performing an examination, taking a medical history, exercise training, nutritional counseling, massage, physiotherapy modalities (ultrasound, traction, electrical stimulation) and others.
All other health care insurance carriers cover these services for chiropractors. Medicare does not reimburse chiropractors for these services and, therefore, passes the cost over to you the patient.
This is not fair since Medicare covers all of these same services when provide by other health care providers (physical therapists, medical doctors, osteopaths, occupational therapists, podiatrists).
When one realizes just how effective and cost-wise chiropractic healthcare really is, why are DCs NOT being reimbursed for ALL their professional services?
The American Chiropractic Association has a petition directed to the White House and Members of Congress, which I think needs to be mainstreamed, in order to get Medicare to reimburse chiropractic doctors for ALL services they are licensed to perform in their respective states.
Won’t you please sign the ACA’s petition to get parity with other healthcare providers? For those patients who use chiropractic healthcare, you know how much it’s done for your wellbeing and overall general good health.
Personally, I hope all DCs will continue with manual therapy rather than using “trigger points,” but that’s just my two cents worth of bias!
References:
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/29/us/us-judge-finds-medical-group-conspired-against-chiropractors.html
[2] http://www.acatoday.org/Advocacy/Engage-with-ACA/National-Medicare-Equality-Petition/Sign-the-National-Medicare-Equality-Petition
Resources:
The real reason why the AMA wants to destroy homeopathy
http://www.naturalnews.com/052268_homeopathy_medical_censorship_monopoly_medicine.html
Wilk v. American Medical Association
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilk_v._American_Medical_Ass%27n
Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.
Catherine’s latest book, published October 4, 2013, is Vaccination Voodoo, What YOU Don’t Know About Vaccines, available on Amazon.com.
Her 2012 book A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, A Guide to Effective & Non-Toxic Treatments, is available on Amazon.com and as a Kindle eBook.
Two of Catherine’s more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008)
Where do I find the petition to sign, also Medicare does not cover podiatrist other than 4 medically necessary nail trimmings a year. I use this because I do not have the hand strength to cut my on toe nails, I need my Achilles tendon repaired but Medicare will not cover my podiatrist to do it even tough he has been a surgeon for over 20 years, who would you really want treating a foot issue other than someone trained to work with feet